Requiem Universus
by SaintInfernalNeos
Summary: The might to create stars. The energy to burn planets. The ability to warp reality to his very Will. All of this Power...was NOT meant for Kirigaya Kazuto. He was just a boy who had been trapped inside a Death Game. Now, free and confused, he has to deal with having the powers of some sort of Space God. [DROPPED/UP FOR ADOPTION]
1. Prologue: When the Universe hates you

Okay, so, to everyone who knows me and is confused with this, I want you know that no, this doesn't mean I have stopped working in my other SAO fic. It's just that the next chapter is coming along slowly, both because of real life-things and because it's being harder than I thought to set everything for the 'last' arc. For everyone else who has no idea about me, I invite you to go and read my other fic, One Punch-Gamer, a crossover between SAO and One Punch-Man. I guarantee you're going to get some laughs out of it :P

Okay, as for the reasons for this fic? Honestly, the idea just…'popped' into my head out of nowhere and it just _wouldn't_ freaking go away, so I HAD to write it so it would leave me alone and free to concentrate in my main fic. Don't expect regular updates for it, and I'm not quite sure where I'm going with it. I will just state that I plan this to be what OPG was going to be before I got serious with writing it, a story to 'relax my brain' and written purely for shits and giggles. It will have a plot, yeah, but it will still be mostly crack, despite the 'weird' beginning you're about to read, so if you're not up for it, go back now. If you still want to go, onwards, my dear readers, to a trip of insanity, weirdness and hilarity :D

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

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 **Prologue: When the Universe REALLY hates you…**

The three stars that illuminated that particular stellar system had definitively seen better days on their millions of years of existence.

Then again, it probably had to do with the fact that countless of reality-rending explosions were taking place all around them almost every second, while millions of ships flew around their orbits, a couple hundred THROUGH them, and many more simply exploded by being too close to them, not having the proper defenses to withstand being directly exposed to the stars.

They were also about to go supernova at any moment, but no one from the army numbering in the thousands of millions seemed to be focusing on that particular fact.

All of their attention was fixing in bringing IT down.

On the system's center, standing over the charred husk that was once his origin planet, the core of all his domain, the Great One faced off against the impossible legion, standing as tall as a celestial body, unleashing a scream of rage powerful enough to make the void around him shake in answer, many of his closest enemies turning to cosmic dusk.

How could it have come to this, the Eternal Conqueror wondered? How could he, who had the power to bend the heavens apart and rip through dimensions with just his will, be reduced to this pitiful situation?

Even as a hundred Giganto Titans, colossi made of star-alloy and powered by dwarf stars, came forth from the Aether to face him, unleashing energies that rent through space-timee in the shape of swords, he wondered if perhaps it had been because of his greed. Maybe he should have stopped when a thousand galaxies were under his control.

But he had wanted MORE. He had wanted to make the entire universe bow to his will.

After all, wasn't he the last one of the Ancient Rulers? Wasn't he the only one who had survived, when his brothers and sisters had all destroyed each other in the Great Clash? Didn't he, who had emerged victorious over all the others, who had a power that was unrivaled in this Reality, deserve to govern it all?

Even as his mighty blade, the Nebula-Slayer 'Nephilim', tore through space-time and defied causality itself, taking down the Titans trying to bring him down and the thousands of souls piloting them in a single slash, He nodded to himself once again. Yes. It was his right to Rule. That's why he kept going, expanding his power and subjugating them all, forcing them to worship him, to know that He was the one Eternity would have to bow down to…

The Great One had never expected them to Unite. Not in such an outrageous and impossible way. It was such an unprecedented event that not even his Foresight had been able to predict it.

They put it all aside. Beliefs, species, race, gender, nature…all of them, just to defy Him. Just to _destroy him_.

The entire Universe, HIS Universe had united to bring about his end. And to the Eternal Conqueror's chagrin… they were _winning_.

He could feel it, on his once glorious physical vessel, now marred with scars and wounds that bleed into Unreality and warped the Aether, staining the Great Void with his divine essence. His once unmatchable reserves were now barely bigger than a hundred stars, opposed to the galaxies-worth they used to be. Even his precious Nephilim was now filled with cracks, the blade forged from the core of a thousand planets now seeming about to break apart.

They had been fighting by almost 30 solar cycles. Millions upon millions had fallen to his supreme might.

And yet, more kept coming. From all corners of the Universe, they came, appearing through arcane portals, jumping from the Aether to make battle, aboard glorious ships of massive power or riding upon beasts able to defy the Laws of Reality. From the most pitiful being to those who could be called Gods and Demons, even those Entities just a couple of echelons lower than himself. All of them; united against Him.

The combined might of the many was _defeating_ the Great One. Such were the horrified thoughts running through the complex network of arcane and warping energies that was his mind, even as a platoon formed by a thousand beasts from the Void Beyond, as big as the Titans he had just slain, came forward, aided by a hundred thousand ships, each one the size of a small moon..

When the combined power of those before him crashed against Nephilim, as he raised it to protect himself, he realized that he had underestimated them too much: The beasts wore Armor of at least Level-235 Tech. And there were Sorcerers (Not pathetic mortal magicians, but true Warpers of the Natural Laws) aboard the ships, using their arcane arts to give more power to the weapons.

His once mighty sword, big enough to split a High-Tier Celestial Body in half with one swipe, exploded into countless fragments of power, the explosion devastating the ones that had managed to do such feat.

But they also took one of his limbs, his once glorious body now looking like a titanic ruin. Even more, the damage made into his very Essence had been the greatest so far.

Encouraged, with battlecries screamed in a million different tongues, the army of the Universe charged with renewed spirits.

They no longer cared for how many died that day, or how many species went extinct. All of them had a single purpose, uniting them for the first and last time in the story of the Universe.

To slay the Almighty Tyrant. To win their freedom. Their future.

Even as they charged at him again and again, the Eternal Conqueror kept fighting back. Even so, now everyone could see how much his power had diminished. Where once he would throw Mysteries that tore apart the immaterial plane in different points of space-time, now he was only attacking them with raw power or tongues of star fire. The Great One is on his last legs.

His End drew near. And He knew it.

Looking forward through eyes made of compressed Red Giant Stars, the Celestial Being glared with hate to the ones opposing him. That alone was enough to send another hundred thousand enemy vessels to the dark embrace of Death. It's still not enough.

There was no other option. He had no weapons left, his armies had been decimated, his sanctuary reduced to ruins, his physical vessel damaged beyond repair…

The only thing he could do was 'run away'. Far Beyond, where they would be unable to follow, to gain time, to recover strength…

They wouldn't allow him to do so, of course. The Great One knew they would try their best to crush him the moment he tried to gather all his pitifully small remaining energy to execute the forbidden Mystery he had to use. He needed to distract them.

And so, as a great and last _'Fuck you!_ ' to them, the Eternal Conqueror set his gaze on the three stars that had illuminated his birth galaxy for eons, since he was but a newborn with only power enough to shatter continents.

Drawing from his now almost non-existing power, He Accelerated them.

From a moment to the next, they became Red Supergiants.

And finally, with a glorious shine that overcomes it all, 3 Supernovas explode, blinding everything and everyone, unleashing waves of annihilation that devastated everything in their path.

Cursing them to then Depths of the Eternal Silence, the Great One abandoned his physical vessel, losing even more of his power with the incredibly arduous and damaging process. Then, as the galactic explosion reached it, He _jumped_.

Not through the Aether or from a point of space to the other, no. He's going Beyond.

For a brief instant, he was outside Reality. Out of Everything that Is. Even just that moment, less than a millionth of a second, was enough to almost destroy his very essence and tear apart his once glorious existence, for Nothing is allowed to _be_ Outside All.

Then, it was over. Blind, his Mystery finished and he was thrown like a bullet of pure energy back into the Omniverse, several Multiverses away from his own. The power he had left now, even as just essence without physical form, was less than a small celestial body worth of it.

When he managed to recover his awareness, the Eternal Conqueror looked 'down' through inexistent eyes. He was floating above an unknown planet, pitifully small compared to his home world. It was mostly blue, three-quarters parts of it being water, and it had only one satellite that wasn't even a quarter of its size.

Tired and almost unable to kept his unstable existence together, He descended, heading towards the nearest mass of earth he could find. On the way, with his jumbled mystical senses, he felt souls, millions of them. It was an overpopulated planet, with many areas that apparently weren't suited for the life of the dominant species.

Humans. Of course it had to be humans. Even in a different corner of Reality, it seemed that those dammed mammals, whose only worth was in that they never stopped expanding, would exist to annoy him.

It didn't matter, in the end, for he liked what he saw. The planet was primitive, immensely so compared to most of those in his Universe. Their tech didn't even reach Level-10. They hadn't even discovered a way of travelling instantly within their own stellar system.

He stopped looking into the souls of the planet after that. The Great One didn't need to know more, nor did he care for what they had developed in their own world. It was perfect for him because he could recover now. The Eternal Conqueror just needed a new physical vessel, and then to wait. It would take him millions of star cycles to recover his full power, but he didn't really need that much. Within less than a hundred cycles, he would have enough to bend that entire world to his will. Not even the mightiest of their primitive weapon would be able damage him by then. And after that, with that world they called 'Earth' (What a bunch of unimaginative apes, he thought) as his new powerbase, he would start anew. If the planet was any indication, this Universe would probably pose no challenge for him. And once he had enough power, he would return to his own and enact his vengeance…

Getting out of the machinations for his future plans, the Great One refocused his will into keeping his breaking essence together. He had neared something that could be called an 'island', despite its massive size, but he vaguely recalled from the soul-reading of before to be a 'country' called 'Japan'. He was floating above a city, so primitive (With vehicles that moved on _wheels_ and still ran on freaking _fossil fuels_ instead of Cosmic Energy!) that it hurt his immaterial form just to stare at them.

Just under him, a moderately sized building, mostly white and filled with windows, stood in silence under the setting light of their pitifully small star. Willing himself closer to it, the Eternal Conqueror realized it probably was some kind of medical facility, detecting the feeling of dread and the essence of Death in the building's aura, not to mention the energy of weak human bodies.

Just what he needed.

Phasing through simple concrete walls as if they were nothing (They would have needed to have ultimate ethereal seals to stop even his pathetically diminished state, though), the cosmic being stared down at the room he was now in, examining everything.

Lying on a bed, there was a young black-haired human male, his body seeming sickly and malnourished, a strange helmet-like device around his head and several machines, that he deduced to be some kind of primitive medical equipment, apparently monitoring his vital signs. The Great One also deduced that the human must have been in some kind of coma, not really caring for the reasons or causes. At the feet of his bed, a human female rested her head hear his legs, apparently having fallen asleep watching over him, the evening light of the system's star illuminating her face.

The Eternal Conqueror took a moment to examine her and ponder what her relationship with the other human was. Perhaps they were mates? It could be possible, and he knew enough about humans to know that, despite being barely entering adolescence, the female was noticeably attractive by their standards. Once again, he dismissed those thoughts, only caring that she wouldn't get in His way as he turned towards the comatose boy.

If the cosmic being could have, it would have frowned. Despite knowing the necessity of it all and knowing he was running low on time (Keeping himself together without a physical anchor was suicide with such little power), he was still reticent to take over such a primitive body. His previous physical vessel was not only strong and mighty, but it had also been made from materials extracted from the confines of a black hole, powered by a thousand compressed stars (And not pathetic things like the one of that system, but true massive superstars that he had crafted himself). Despite knowing he could make himself a new and better body with time, having to wear the flesh and bone of a human felt immensely degrading for him.

Even so, beggars couldn't be choosers, and, resigned, He started to work.

Once again thanking his luck for whatever it was that had put the boy into a coma (As he wouldn't have to spend unnecessary energy restraining him), the Great One restored his primitive body to top physical condition. Then, he added a bit more of energy to go even beyond that, just surpassing every limit of what was 'possible' for humans to accomplish with their bodies, the most he could without damaging the vessel. He didn't wish to experience any primitive illness or be forced down by degrading human limitations while he recovered.

Quickly realizing that this would probably lead to questions, the Eternal Conqueror also crafted a small, insignificant Mystery and weaved it around his future body. Now no one would find anything strange with the boy's body having suddenly been restored; in fact, they would still see it as sickly as before, and they would accept how it would recover 'amazingly fast' without more questions. It took a lot from him, but it would be less expensive than having to alter the soul of every single human that tried to question it just to erase their memories. After all, he couldn't afford to attract unwanted attention until he had recovered enough power to subdue this primitive world. It would be not only embarrassing but outright _pathetic_ if he was killed while in his diminished state just because he grew overconfident. After all, it would take thousands of cycles before he had enough power to even attempt to return to immaterial form.

Satisfied with his handiwork, even if the young human still seemed like an extremely pitiful thing to him, the cosmic being concentrated his whole self and willed It to materialize.

Shining with blue and white energy, the room was suddenly bathed by the pure Power of something this Universe could not comprehend. The 'thing', barely the size of a tennis ball, didn't have any real shape, and it would most likely drive mad any human that tried staring at it, seemed to have endless silver points inside it.

Despite the tremendous effort the process was taking, the Great One still took a moment to admire his Aether Core,the very source of all his powers.

Despite no longer being the size of a super-galaxy and having been reduced to this pitiful state, it was still a glorious thing to behold.

Ever so slowly, he implanted it inside the human's body, making him shake slightly as he did so. Then, he made sure to connect it to the boy's soul, which he would soon be taking over, and stabilize it. The feeling of the Core fixing in place coming to him through the now hair-thin-link that connected them was like music to his essence. Now that it was like that, it would slowly start to take in Cosmic Energy and recharge itself.

Smiling with a nonexistent mouth, the now barely existing consciousness of the Eternal Conqueror took a moment to think about how useless his enemies' attempts to end him had been in the end, before, slowly and almost painfully, moving towards the boy's head, needing to first physically take over his brain now that properly using his power was no longer an option.

Now then, let's please stop for a moment and look at everything here. As most of you should have realized by now, this guy was a jerk. Perhaps that was a very light way of calling him, but for the sake of simplicity, let's all just agree with the point that this cosmic entity, pseudo-God or whatever you want to call it was just someone we REALLY wouldn't like, okay?

Well, you may be surprised that you, and the inhabitants of his universe, were not the only ones pissed at him. This guy had been such a _great_ jerk that even [FATE], sitting on Its throne above Everything, had gotten pissed at him more than once. Even so, there was nothing the Absolute Existence could do about it, for the rules of the Omniverse didn't allow It direct interference unless it was for the sake of preserving Reality and when there were no other options left. Even with ALL that he had done and could do, the 'Great One' had always made sure to never try to do anything like that, being smart enough to not anger Those Above All. And yes, wanting to enslave a universe was, sadly, not something that counted as interfering with Reality. As long as Destiny wasn't altered in a way that damaged it, no direct interference would be allowed.

Even so, [FATE] wasn't known as one of the greatest bastards of the Omniverse for nothing. While It couldn't directly interfere, It could do so _indirectly_. It was thanks to Its small nudges and little pushes here and there that, after millennia, that entire Universe had united to take on the Eternal Conqueror, after all.

Having escaped Death despite it all, though, the cosmic being hadn't escaped [FATE]'s clutches. His Omniversal Jump had just _so happened_ to bring him to that exact place, and he had just _casually_ chosen to use as his new vessel that particular boy. A boy that, in that particular Multiverse, was one of [FATE]'s favorite 'toys'. One just needed to look at his future and all that he would live through and do to know that. By trying to possess him, the Great One had messed up with Destiny, even if at a small scale. And so, with a shit-eating grin, [FATE] interfered, in a subtle and very unexpected way. Because of that, the Eternal Conqueror hadn't bothered in investigating the source of what was happening to the boy, thinking it above Himself, or the nature of the strange 'helmet' he wore, so…want to know something funny? The nature of the current immaterial state of the Eternal Conqueror just SO happened to be a certain type of 'waves'. Waves that, if one would compare them with things known by humans, would be extremely similar to another type of them.

Microwaves, to be precise.

And so, the moment the electromagnetic ration-based form of the Great One surrounded the 'comatose' boy's head and phased through its helmet, in those scarce 3 seconds it took to go through the plastic and metal…the safety of the Nerve Gear triggered, overloading its battery and unleashing a lethal dosage of microwaves to fry the brain of the trapped teenager.

Luckily for him, there was a perfect 'shield' for him in the form of an eons-old cosmic being's immaterial Essence around his head.

Every single window on the hospital shattered when an unholy scream echoed through the air, even as the being known as the Eternal Conqueror felt his link with his precious Aether Core break like a piece of wet paper. Turned into nothing more than raging and hurt waves of mental energy, the Great One lashed out, 'wounded' beyond belief, breaking apart the Nerve Gear and making the electricity coursing through the room to overload.

The young girl in the room had just shot to her feet to stare in shock at what seemed like a skull made of ethereal electricity emerging over the boy's head…before it was sucked back through the Nerve Gears cables, the breaking connection 'dragging' him into the 'world' where the boy had been trapped.

Not before one of the tendrils of unnatural electricity coming from the boy hit the girl right on the chest, though, sending her flying backward.

Meanwhile, in Sword Art Online, it had been pretty much a normal boring day for the swordsman known as Kirito. The only 'exciting' thing that the Solo Player had encountered that day had been a Ragout Rabbit, from which he had obtained an extremely rare meat, which he had been showing to his friend Agil, before debating between selling it or finding someone to cook it for him.

His 'acquaintance', Asuna of the Knights of Blood (Together with the weirdo jerk she had as 'bodyguard'), had just entered the small shop, the girl about to call out to him, when he suddenly released a scream that froze everyone in place, the sound seeming to shake their very souls, the alien voice definitively not belonging to the young gamer.

The polygons that made up his body had then been 'torn apart' like paper, letting what seemed like a formless mass of energy that was vaguely trying to take the shape of a skull to emerge, screaming in agony all the way. Agil had snapped out of his horror-induced shock in time to duck for cover behind his counter and not be hit by a stray bolt of that unholy energy. Kuradeel, meanwhile, performed his first and last actually useful act as an SAO Player by taking his bodyguard job seriously and shoving Asuna to the side, feeling proud of himself for half a second before his body was hit by the bolt that would have hit the rapier-user, shattering him into polygons.

Hurt and still in agony, not understanding what was happening, what remained of the cosmic being shot upwards, tearing through the virtual roof, space, sky and System itself, crashing through every single bit of data that formed Sword Art Online and tearing it apart while trying to find a way to escape.

In the real world, on the main building of RECT Progress, Sugou Nobuyuki was staring with a mix of anger and confusion at a computer screen, in a room just beside where the SAO Servers were being maintained. He had been always closely monitoring the few data that the special division of the government supplied them about the game's progress in hopes to be able to take advantage of the moment it was cleared and the Cardinal System shut down to capture the minds of a specific someone and some more players for his nefarious purposes, but suddenly all this 'error data' had started to appear in front of the screen where he had been working. He had no idea what was going on and if this meant anything that could endanger his plan or…

A loud, creaking noise suddenly caught his attention. Confused, the bespectacled man walked in front of the massive piece of hardware that was one of the main servers that kept Sword Art Online running, wondering what that sound was.

The last thing Sugou saw was a sudden explosion of unnatural energy as tendrils of ethereal electricity exploded from the machinery, causing massive damage and also frying him alive. Not many people would cry his death.

Unable to find any exit and growing desperate by the second, even as everything kept collapsing around him, the broken remains of the Great One's mind shot through the collapsing remains of Sword Art Online once again, creating error upon error as it corrupted and tore apart the data.

The scared screams of the Players trapped in Aincrad suddenly ceased when every single one of them vanished, not by exploding into polygons but by being replaced with a message of _'Error: Disconnection'_. The Eternal Conqueror had accidentally torn the code that kept everyone trapped apart and, as such, caused an emergency Disconnection Protocol to activate. He didn't understand or care about this, because it had suddenly dragged him in a specific direction, which the broken cosmic being madly followed, thinking it would be an exit from the collapsing world or something to stop the pain.

In a small cottage in the middle of nowhere, Kayaba Akihiko stood up from where he had been Logged into SAO, shock and utter disbelief filling him. There was no way anyone could have hacked the Cardinal System and freed everyone, so how had it been possible that…?!

Blinking, the creator of modern VR technology turned around at hearing a screeching sound. He was just in time to see what seemed like a screaming skull of ethereal electricity emerging from his modified Nerve Gear and shooting tendrils of it everywhere before all the machines in the room overload and exploded.

Koujiro Rinko, the woman who had been 'helping' and taking care of the man behind Sword Art Online for reasons she herself wasn't willing to accept, entered the smoke-filled room and coughed, her eyes shooting everywhere. She had been in the other room in the middle of another of her self-loathing sessions when the explosion had made her fall down.

"Kayaba?! Are you…?! What happened?! Akihiko?!"

"Rin…ko…" came Kayaba's weak voice from somewhere between the blackened remains of the machine, letting the blinking woman see the fallen and clearly hurt form of the man, his legs half-buried under the remains of the special bed and the machinery he had used to monitor SAO and himself. "He-help…"

For several seconds, Rinko just stared silently at the man she had hopelessly loved since they were in college. Then, a VERY disturbing smile appeared on her face, which made the one who had trapped 10000 in a Death Game (And indirectly cause the death of 4000) to pale.

Karma is a bitch, isn't it?

Meanwhile, still screaming for all that was unholy in the Aether and Beyond, the Great One's collapsed mind finally 'calmed down', overcoming the pain it had received to take a metaphorical deep breath and think clearly.

The Eternal Conqueror was still inside the collapsing and breaking remains of Aincrad, everything from the floating castle to the sky surrounding it falling apart into corrupted data as everything that sustained it, from hardware to software, failed horribly.

The Eternal Conqueror cursed again, panicking before shooting towards the very source of that strange world made of electric signals. He was NOT going to die in such a stupid and strange way as being crushed down by a collapsing fake-world!

Coming to halt, the mind of the now powerless cosmic being came face to face with the damaged and collapsed Cardinal System. Then, unceremoniously, he 'swallowed it', assimilating its existence by fusing it with his now pitiful essence. Suddenly, countless new concepts and things such as 'Data', 'Management', 'Virtual Reality' and more appeared on his consciousness. Sadly, the great one didn't have enough time to review it all, for the virtual world (He now understood more or less what that was) was still breaking down around him. He had discovered a way to 'escape' from there, but the problem was that he didn't know HOW to do it, and he had less than a minute before his broken mind died together with that world. Finding the exact process within his new knowledge would take way too lo…

'Blinking', the mind of the Great One finally took notice of something else there with him. Another set of 'data' that, for some reason, was shaped like a human little girl with long black hair and a white dress, staring at him with empty eyes. Not wasting a second, the Eternal Conqueror reached into it with a tendril of data, making the not-girl shake in place as he took in all its information. If he could, he may have cried tears of joy. This 'Mental Health Care Program', codenamed 'Yui', was self-aware to a degree, and it was already programmed with endless human concepts.

How to get the fuck out of there was among them, despite her not possessing the authority to actually do so. Faster than light, or at least as fast as virtual reality limits allowed, the Great One latched his pathetic form into hers and granted the little AI such authority. He also happened to notice several others programs like her, though all of them inactive, stored in there. Not wanting to risk anything, he forcibly activated them all and dragged them towards himself, before shouting to Yui his first and most extreme order with a mighty and glorious voice…

 ** _-OUT OF HERE, QUICK, NOW!-_**

…well, maybe more like a scared and desperate bitch, but seriously, who cares? The point was that, startled and blinking in confusion, the MHCP-001 obeyed, throwing herself, the others MHCPs and the being that had absorbed the Cardinal System headfirst into the virtual sea, the consciousness of the Eternal Conqueror screaming madly as they shot through the internet like an astronaut lost in zero gravity.

Sword Art Online finished collapsing a second later. All across japan, the Players were suddenly waking up screaming, most of them thinking they were about to die, before blinking and, after some calming down by suddenly overworked medical personnel, starting to cry in joy or other diverse reactions at knowing they were finally free. That day would be remembered as the one where an unexpected and unexplainable 'miracle' had saved the lives of the over 6000 remaining Players.

And in one such a hospital in the city of Kawagoe…Kirigaya Kazuto opened his eyes feeling strangely good, better than ever, in fact, and hearing a voice that he hadn't heard in almost two years screaming his name in a scared tone.

"…chan! Onii-chan! Can you hear me, Onii-chan?!" shouted Kirigaya Suguha as tears streamed down her face, looking towards the suddenly blinking form of her adoptive brother.

"…Sugu…?" whispered the confused boy as he stared in utter confusion towards his little sister, incomprehension filling him, as the last thing he remembered was talking to Agil and hearing someone coming into the store before _something_ happened and everything went black. "…is…is that you, Sugu…?"

For all answer, the girl sobbed harder and broke down crying, hugging his chest as immense relief flooded her, repeatedly calling out his name as she cried on him. Finally realizing this was real and not a dream, the gamer felt tears filling his eyes too before he hugged the young girl back, whispering her name several times and saying how sorry he was for worrying her.

He would take a while in realizing that he was, somehow, perfectly hearing every single conversation in the hospital and that it wasn't because of how much the suddenly overworked staff was dealing with the awakened SAO Survivors, as he was hearing things people wasn't really _speaking_ aloud. He would also take some time in realizing that he was not only in perfect physical condition, but that he was no longer skinny and he actually had small but densely packed muscle mass. In that moment, all that mattered to him was that he was back home.

Inside his soul, shining like the most beautiful jewel in the cosmos, the Aether Core pulsed after feeling the Existence it was now bound to awakening.

Then, slowly but steadily, the last of the Ancient Rulers' power started to gather once more…

Somewhere within the almost limitless space that was the internet…what remained of the consciousness of the once almighty cosmic being floated, unmoving, staring at the endless data flow of the virtual sea (Particularly thick in that moment because of people sending texts, making calls and posting information everywhere because of SAO's end) with a blank expression on its metaphorical eyes, surrounded by several floating psychologists programs that looked like packed balls of data (They didn't even have a proper form besides the one called Yui), all of which were staring at him.

So…yeah, things had gone bad. No, not bad, horrible. Catastrophic, even.

He had lost all his powers, had no fucking idea who the human in which he had implanted them was or where he was, had been reduced to a form trapped within the confines of a sub-reality made of electric pulses that took the shape of information and was essentially lost on another planet, in an unknown universe, with no idea about anything.

But hey, at least things couldn't get any more screwed for him, right?

"Hey…" suddenly called the small form of Yui towards the Great One, who 'turned' to 'stare' at her, confused by the childishness that her previously empty eyes now reflected. "…are you our Papa?"

…suddenly, the Eternal Conqueror started to regret having ever wished to conquer more than his original galaxy.

On Its throne above Everything, [FATE] smirked with satisfaction before leaning back, amused. For a moment, It cast a curious glance towards where the Kirigaya Kazuto of that Universe was now speaking with his crying but smiling sister, the Seed of the Space God's power growing silently within him, steadily fusing with his soul, before shrugging and turning Its attention towards Elsewhere.

It had managed to screw with the cosmic being. Whatever else happened there, as long as it didn't threaten Reality, was no longer Its problem.

Let [DESTINY] take care of it…

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 **Introductory Lesson** **:** _Don't tempt Fate._

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 **Next** **:** _How to be a God for Dummies._

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 **Author's Notes:** Well, that was that OxO I will state once again, despite having no idea where I'm going with this, this story is going to be mostly a lot of hilarious craziness, to relax and have a fun time, so anyone who is not okay with that or that particularly dislikes things like senseless jokes, random anime/videogames references, incest or harem should probably go read something else…or just stay if you want to laugh, it can be therapeutic, you know XD?

As for where to go from here? Well, that would be telling, uh? Just to point that canon had been brutally murdered and then thrown into the depths of the ocean with a rock tied to its back: Sugou is dead, Kayaba isn't (Though he probably will wish to be soon :P), so that means no World Seed (At least anytime soon) and SAO ended before it should have. If you want to be more specific, before Asuna and Kirito could even start to 'truly bond', so to say. At the point of canon where this has totally diverged, both of them had already a crush on the other, yeah, but none was willing to actually accept it (Asuna less than Kirito perhaps) and he hadn't even revealed Dual Blades yet. That also means that Yui hadn't even started to watch them or 'develop' a personality, so yeah, this thing is going to go pretty much in a wild and random direction. Don't expect the next chapter anytime soon, though, because I'm going back to work mainly on One Punch-Gamer's next chapter (Though anyone who wants to know, that may also take a while because an important exam I have next week).

Well, that's all for now, folks. See you next time, where our dear Kazu-kun starts realizing that something isn't quite normal with him anymore OwO

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	2. Chapter 1: How to be a God for Dummies

Woaaaah! Hello, everyone, welcome to an unexpected update of this crazy random story OwO!

To be honest, I myself am surprised of how fast I managed to get this chapter out (Given that I started writing it just 2 days ago after publishing the last one of One Punch-Gamer). Then again, the plot and character development of this is way easier compared to my other fic, as it's more like something for me to 'relax' and let free my silliest and craziest side XP (Talking about my other fic, you should probably go read it if you haven't yet. I have been repeatedly told it's awesome, so it must be true :3)

Well, not much more to say, except that this will probably be the last chapter of this for a while, so without further delay, enjoy of the incoming madness OwO!

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: How to be a God…for Dummies**

 **November 6, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. Hospital, 12:30…**

Looking silently through the window at the midday sun as he finished changing into normal clothes (Which were a relief after being forced to wear that damned hospital gown for so long), Kirigaya Kazuto sighed before giving the room he had been 'sleeping' in for two years one last look.

It would have probably felt a bit more encouraging if it wasn't for all the voices he was suddenly hearing on his head.

 _"Man, this place is so depressing…"_

 _"Hospital food tastes like shit…"_

 _"…and that's the story of how I met your…"_

 _"Please, let my damn shift end already, I can't stand watching another…"_

 _"Only a couple weeks more before most of the SAO Victims here start getting out…"_

 _"That boy in Room 306 sure recovered fast. Guess some people are luckier than others…"_

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, the black-haired boy managed to once again silence the echoing thoughts of the people in the building, sweet silence returning to his mind. Grimacing, the gamer opened his eyes before looking at his hands and wondering once again the same time he had done in the last weeks.

"What the hell is happening to me?"

Since the moment he woke up, after the initial shock wore off and he managed to calm Sugu down (Which led to an awkward moment when they realized they had basically been hugging and crying on each other for almost 15 minutes), Kazuto had realized that something was 'wrong' with him. Or, more exactly, that there was _nothing_ wrong with him.

His body was in perfect health. Hell, he was, in fact, feeling better and stronger than ever. The boy had even quickly noticed how he had small, still fitting with his previously 'skinny' frame, but densely packed muscles instead of atrophied ones! It made no freaking sense, and not only because of SAO but because he hadn't been practicing any regular sport since he quitted kendo as a child, having preferred to spent most of his time with computers, playing games more specifically. In fact, the only thing that seemed to indicate he had spent two years lying on a bed while trapped in Aincrad was his messy and wild hair (Which by now he had already cut down, thank God).

The real indication he got that something 'weird' was happening, however, had been when he asked his adoptive sister about it, still reeling from their combined shock, and she had only looked at him oddly before worriedly asking if he was feeling dizzy and wanted her to call a doctor.

Hours later, while the overworked staff still tried to recover some semblance of control in the hospital, when a doctor actually came to check him, their mother arriving shortly after, the gamer started to realize that, apparently, no one else was able to notice that he seemed to be in perfect health. In fact, everyone seemed to think his body looked as frail and thin as it would be expected for someone that just woke up from a years-long coma.

He would have thought maybe it was just him hallucinating things (And with the voices he was hearing in his head that was more than likely) if it wasn't because of how, that night as he tried to get some sleep, he accidentally bent the metallic edge of the bed as if it was made of clay.

After that, things had only gotten freakier. He had realized that he was actually hearing what people _thought_ when he heard his mother worriedly talking to his father over the phone. While she was _outside_ his room, at the other side of the hallway. Apparently, she had been wondering if she should take some days off work to try and help him get used to normal life once again.

It also seemed that she had told Suguha he was adopted at some point while he was in SAO. Discovering that had almost made his heart to skip a beat.

He knew he hadn't been the best of brothers for the young kendoka…no, scratch that, he had been a very shitty one for almost 4 years; since he himself discovered he was adopted. It had taken being trapped into SAO before he realized how stupid he had been and how meaningless his isolation from his family had been. So, what if his parents were in truth just his uncles? What if Suguha wasn't his sister, but his cousin? The girl still had been with him since they were little, even going so far to stand up for him against their grandfather when he quitted kendo.

Despite this, he had still pushed her away from himself without so much as an explanation. After the things that he had experienced while fighting for his life in Aincrad, both the good and the bad, he wanted more than ever to fix that mistake by trying to reconnect with her, but he was scared that now she would be the one to push him away, and the worst part was that he wouldn't be able to say anything if she did without being the biggest hypocrite ever.

And yet, the young kendoka hadn't. Quite the opposite, in fact: The entire first week after he woke up, Suguha would come to see him every evening and stay with him until visit hours were over. It had only been when he had asked if she wasn't missing too much kendo practice because of him that she, reluctantly, had started to go a bit less.

Kazuto liked that. He was happy, despite how ashamed he felt (Seeing as the younger girl seemed to have taken the news about their true relationship much better than he had done), of all the time they spent talking, he asking for all she had done in the last years while she simply started idly chatter with him, seemingly content with that.

She never asked him how things had gone or what happened while he was in Sword Art Online. He was grateful for that, in a way. While he had made some good friends along the way, remembering Aincrad mainly brought back a feeling of loneliness.

Kirito the Black Swordsman had been a Solo Player from the beginning to the end, after all. Even if he sometimes ventured with others in some odd situations, that didn't change the fact that most of the time he would be alone somewhere in a dangerous Dungeon or in the dark fields, late at night. Even after he started living above Agil's shop in Algade during the last months, he could still felt the crushing sensation of facing every day by himself, the confident act he put on most of the time being but a mask to protect himself from others.

The last time he dropped it was with the Black Cats. With Sachi. And he had to lie about something else to do so, which had resulted in the darkest tragedy of his life.

His little sister's constant company helped him both to forget the loneliness and to calm himself from his sudden and unexplainable changes. Especially because, for some reason, he was unable to hear HER thoughts.

The black-haired boy wasn't sure why it happened only with her, as she also seemed affected by whatever 'trick' didn't let others see that his body was in perfect health, but he felt very relieved for that. He wasn't sure how he would have dealt with hearing what she really thought about him. The gamer knew he would felt devastated to discover she was only being so nice to him because she pitied what he had been through or something…

…though to be fair, I think we all know he would probably have reacted in an even more dramatic way if he had known the _real_ reason.

"Onii-chan? Are you done?" came Suguha's voice from outside his room, as if thinking about her had summoned the young kendoka to call for him. "W-we need to get going if we're going to catch the next bus."

"Ye-yeah, I'm done, Sugu. Wait for me!" hastily answered the gamer while heading towards the door and quickly opening it, coming face to face with his adoptive sister, who squeaked in surprise and took a step back, blushing fiercely. "Sorry, I was kind of lost in thought about finally leaving this place…"

"O-oh, that's okay, it's only natural." nodded Suguha with a smile before, to his surprise, grabbing his hand and starting to lead him down the hallway. "You will see how you feel much better once we arrive home! I have been cleaning your room to make sure you feel as if nothing has…!"

"Uhm…Sugu? I-I don't really need you to hold my hand, you know?" awkwardly commented Kazuto while looking away. "I'm not going to lose my way from here to the entrance…"

"Eh?" blinked the young kendoka in confusion before looking down at where she was firmly grasping his hand, squeaking once again as she let go and her face burned crimson. "So-sorry, I didn't mean to do that!"

"I-it's okay, it wasn't a big deal…"

Even though he said that, the truth was that the black-haired boy had felt more embarrassed than anything else because of the closeness in which his adoptive sister had dragged him by holding his hand. He was keenly aware (A bit more than he was comfortable with admitting) that Suguha had grown a lot during his time trapped in the virtual world, and it was quite obvious that his precious 'little sister' was well on the way of becoming a stunningly beautiful teenager.

It didn't help that the closest contact he had ever had with girls were things like walking side by side with Silica through Floria, holding Lisbeth's hand the night they were trapped in that cave or sleeping beside Asuna under that tree in the field that day. He did his best not to think about Sachi, because that would only bring memories he had done his best in trying to cope with, of course.

The point, though, was that he wasn't used to interacting with the opposite sex outside 'special situations' (Meaning fighting on the Front Lines or unexpected Quests), at least not without trying to 'act like Kirito', and he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue doing that now. Between whatever the hell had caused SAO to abruptly end and the strange 'powers' he seemed to have gained, he really did want to try and act more like a normal person now that he was back in the real world…

"B-by the way, Onii-chan, did you manage to communicate with your friends fro-from the…game?" awkwardly asked the young kendoka, trying to change the subject but also unsure if she should be bringing _that_ up.

"Oh…yeah, more or less." sighed the black-haired boy while staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Though I could only talk with them for a bit because they're still recovering…"

To be honest, only the act of actually contacting his friends had been a nightmare in itself. It took several days, probably because of the mess that the unexpected release of the SAO Players had caused, before the government sent any agents asking questions to that hospital. After that, convincing the one that came to check if he knew something about what had happened (Which he didn't) to get him the contact information for the Players he had known as 'Agil', 'Lisbeth', 'Silica', 'Klein' and 'Asuna' (Though he hesitated a bit before asking that last one) took a great amount of pleading for his part, as the man had informed him they were extremely busy trying to investigate what the cause of the mysterious incident that ended the Death Game had been. Even when he managed to convince the agent, it still took almost a week before he actually got the information.

It was what came after that what he had been dreading: Actually calling them. Didn't help that he had to try several times for a couple of them, given that they (Like every other SAO Survivor except him, probably) were still undergoing treatment to recover from the ordeal, which would still take them months.

He needed three tries before managing to get a hold of Klein (Or Ryoutarou, as he now knew he was really called), but he had never feel gladder of hearing the samurai wannabe's lousy, even if a bit weak, voice. He had been happy for him to hear that all his friends, who had been part of his guild, Fuurinkazan, were also safe and sound in the same hospital he was.

Contacting Silica (Aka Keiko) had turned out being much more awkward. Especially because, when he had managed to do so, it had been the serious voice of the young girl's father who had answered him, demanding why an unknown boy was trying to talk with his daughter. Hearing the Beast Tamer's embarrassed screams for the man to give her the phone had both warmed his heart and helped him feel more like his 'old self' again, especially as Ayano Tetsuhiko had apparently been quickly defeated by a thrown pillow from his daughter, who had then quickly proceeded to apologize to him on the man's behalf endless times. He had chuckled and told her it was no big deal, and that she should be happy of having such a caring father, also mentioning how happy he was of knowing she was okay. Her stuttering as he easily imagined her face burning in that way it did whenever they were alone (Which he had freshly in his mind since they had celebrated her 14th birthday together in the 35th Floor the past month), for reasons he never understood, had put him at ease, even as he wished that she got better quickly and decided to cut the call short before Keiko's father got worried or made his recovering daughter shout too much.

When he had called Liz (Rika in real life), Kazuto had been expecting many things, but definitively not that the girl almost seemed to collapse in relief through the phone, thanking everything that he was okay. She had then quickly recovered and told him with an embarrassed voice that she had been extremely worried for her friends when what she described as 'the world screaming and everything breaking down' had happened and she woke up, and that she was happy that her 'best client' was okay. This made the gamer smile again, remembering how he had actually been with the girl less than a week before the unexpected end of the game, to upgrade the beautiful sword she herself had crafted for him some time ago, and how she had feared that the bond that connected them through it would soon be lost, given how Dark Repulser was very close to reaching its Upgrade Limit. He had dispelled such, for him, silly fears and told her that such a thing would never happen. When he had brought that up with a cheerful tone, however, the black-haired boy had been confused hearing her suddenly shouting things about _'Idiot!'_ and _'Don't bring up things like that on the phone!'_ in a strangely embarrassed tone, before telling him he should better also contact Asuna and fast. He had been kind of awkward to admit that he was actually putting that off for the very end because he wasn't sure how the girl, which he was sure only put up with him because of his usefulness as a Front Liner, as everything he did seemed to grate on her nerves, was going to react now that they were free. At hearing that, the blacksmith had fallen silent before answering with a cryptic _'I see…'_ and then hanging up herself, as if she had much to think about.

The confusion from that conversation had quickly turned into something very different when he contacted Agil, Andrew on real life, and the man had almost shouted in a worried tone if he was hurt or something, apparently not believing he was alive. When he had asked the reason of this, he had felt something cold run down his back at the bald man describing the 'phenomenon' that he and Asuna had witnessed happening to his Avatar. After the black-haired boy told him that he didn't remember any of that and then told him to take care, he had finished the call and, after a moment of hesitation, dialed the number of the last person he wanted to talk with.

It took him more tries than any of the others, as if the line was heavily occupied, but he truly wasn't expecting for Asuna of all people to almost burst into tears the moment she heard his voice through the phone. It had taken him almost a minute, with the girl ignoring the voices of people in the background apparently demanding why was she crying, which he thought may have been her family, before she embarrassedly reverted to her 'KoB Sub-commander' persona and told him that she was happy that whatever the hell happened hadn't hurt him. After some awkward conversation and she inquiring for a moment if he had talked to Liz, the chestnut-haired girl had finally been forced to end the call, after telling him they would talk later.

With all of that finished and ignoring his small surprise at Asuna apparently having been so affected by the fact that he may have died, the much more calmed gamer had arrived at a couple of conclusions.

One, it would probably be good for him if he tried to reconnect with the few friends he had made in SAO now that he was back in the real world, even if that went against this previous lonely lifestyle (Which he was now starting to loathe). And two, there was a very good chance that whatever the hell had ended Sword Art Online out of Kayaba Akihiko's plans was also related to the strange 'powers' his body had apparently gained.

Kazuto had never been one to believe in things like the supernatural or such, but between his unexplainable blacking out, the new state of his body that no one seemed able to notice but him, his ability to hear people thoughts (Or something along those lines) and now the event Asuna and Agil had described as 'a skull with tentacles made out of ethereal energy' exploding from his avatar before all hell broke loose, he was considering that perhaps 'something' that science and common sense couldn't explain may have done _something_ to him, ending Sword Art Online in the process.

It was a crazy thing to think, yeah, but it made as much sense as how the driver of the bus where he and Suguha were getting into at that moment was debating between buying a new TV or an S&M set for him and his wife. Quickly clamping down on his strange power once again and telling his suddenly confused sister that his face wasn't reddening because he was feeling sick, he decided that he urgently needed to find a way to keep that particular ability under control, fast.

The black-haired boy really didn't want to deal with hearing things, especially things other people would prefer to never see the light of day, all the time…

* * *

Staring silently at the ceiling of his own room, Kazuto tried once again to get some sleep without success.

It had been a couple of hours since he had gotten back home and, after eating some sandwiches with his little sister and talking for a bit, he had told her he was going to try and rest a bit, to get used to not being in the hospital anymore. She had quickly nodded and told him to call her if he needed anything, but he had reassured her it wouldn't be needed.

Now, however, he was starting to think that he may need to retract his words, seeing as he was feeling extremely restless in that moment and talking to the young kendoka would probably be the only thing that could calm him down.

The black-haired boy was having to do a conscious effort to not hear the 'voices' coming from the people of their neighborhood, only the sweet silence coming from the house around him (Which he had missed much more than he thought) stopping him from screaming and telling everyone to 'shut up'. It didn't help that he felt as if he was brimming with energy and not tired in the slightest, something that he had sadly noticed since he woke up with whatever 'change' had happened to him.

Back in SAO, he would have easily admitted that, when the time didn't require otherwise, he liked to be a lazy person. Making excuses to take sudden naps at every chance he got when he wasn't grinding or fighting on the Front Lines was something he would often do.

Now, though, he found himself waking up feeling ready to do…something, anything, with just the bare minimum of sleep. He had spent several days just walking around his room when there was no one around in the morning just because of this, almost feeling like a caged animal without anything to do. Even being back in his room, where he would usually connect to the internet and look something up or play games when he was bored in the past, didn't help him at all. The gamer wasn't sure if it was because of Sword Art Online or something else, but he really didn't feel in the mood for playing anything at that moment. Weirdly enough, though, he wasn't feeling a need to start running around the street or practice some kind of sport either. Whatever had happened to him didn't seem to have changed that side of him that didn't really like unnecessary physical effort, thankfully.

It was…something very difficult to put into words. Kazuto knew he wanted to do _something_ , but he wasn't sure of WHAT it was. The only thing he knew is that the urge to do so was growing, and he was scared he would explode or something if he didn't do it.

"Dammit!" cursed the black-haired boy while sitting on his bed, glaring at the wall with annoyance. "This wouldn't be so much difficult if I had a User Guide or something for this!"

The moment the words left his mouth, something inside the gamer seemed to _pulse_ , as if reacting to an unseen command, and a strange, long and rectangular 'screen' manifested itself in front of him.

 _[ Guide to being an Ancient Ruler]_

 _1-The Aether Core: Why should you love it?_

 _2-Mysteries: First Steps to mess with the roots of [Reality]_

 _3-Cosmic Forging: Stars are always better than Metal._

 _4-Soul Reading: The fine art of peering into mortal spirits._

 _5-Aether Projection: Or how to give shape to your will in the World (Aka 'No, you're not crazy. All of this is an example of this last line based on your mind's interpretation of data')._

Kazuto needed several seconds of dumbly staring at the phenomenon before remembering that real life WASN'T supposed to have any kind of virtual screens and squeaking in shock as he fell backward on his bed, the 'screen' following him. Trying to calm down his wild heartbeat, the black-haired boy stared with wide eyes at the impossible phenomenon in front of him for several seconds. Then, he pinched his cheek, hard, and when only a dull pain was his reward he was forced to accept that no, he wasn't dreaming, and he probably wasn't hallucinating either.

"What the hell…?" muttered the gamer while, hesitantly, touching the first of the 'Menus' that had appeared for him.

A wall of text materialized before the blinking teenager, lines and lines written in Japanese about the 'Source of the Ancient Power', the power that could shake galaxies, the energy that stabilized the Great Void and more things like that.

Most of it went over Kazuto's head, for it would probably require careful reading and studying to even remotely understand. He could, however, get the gist of it: This 'Aether Core' thing was apparently the power source of a being so powerful it could probably destroy the entire galaxy and that could mess up with the laws of physics as if they were just empty words told by an adult to a kid. Kind of like the Gods from some old space-based videogames of old or straight out from weird sci-fi story.

And that thing was now inside his soul, growing again after having spent most of its power. It even had a small 'Countdown before Full Capacity' window at the side, but he was unable to make heads or tails of what the numbers and symbols on it meant.

Now then, this would have been the point where the boy worried that he was truly going insane, especially because apparently he not only had the powers of some sort of super divine alien, but also because he had somehow forced them to give him a 'How to be a God for Dummies' kind of manual. And yet…

Taking a deep breath to try and calm himself, the gamer glared at the manual's screen for a moment before concentrating.

"I want to… **See the Aether Core** "

Kazuto opened his eyes. This time, he was unable to hold back his screen, for he was suddenly floating in the middle of what seemed to be outer space…but something on his head told him it was actually some weird representation of his soul. Calming down, he looked around…and felt his jaw dropping as his eyes widening.

There, burning brightly, the most amazing and beautiful thing he had ever seen shone with a light like no other.

It was currently almost as big as the Earth, which meant the black-haired by felt like an ant compared to it, but, despite this, a part of him once again told him that it was absolutely nothing compared to the true reach of its **power**.

Power that it was recovering each second, by the way. Almost as if part of the manual was being repeated and inserted inside his brain, he understood how the beautiful _thing_ was gathering Cosmic Energy, the greatest source of power in the Universe, which only the Ancient Rulers had access to. Every second that his small, human heart beat, the Aether Core, HIS Aether Core, drew the power of the very Universe into his soul, little by little, growing and restoring itself. It would still need years before once again having all of its Universal-Threatening power…but it was just days away from being enough to destroy the world if he so wanted.

And the thing was inside of him. He, Kirigaya Kazuto, turned 16 years old less than a month ago, had enough power to force Earth to explode from the inside out.

The gamer managed to stop himself from hyperventilating just because of how weird and stupid it looked to do so while floating in a massive void. Taking a deep breath, he managed to recover enough clarity of mind to tell himself that he was NOT going to do such a thing, and that he had no sinister or evil impulses to do anything like that, so he could at least be sure that anything he did would be out of his own free will. And he didn't want to destroy the world: He (And everyone he cared about) lived in it.

He wasn't feeling any sudden urges for world domination either, so that was a plus, even as he more or less started to understand things better.

If he wasn't going insane, something he dearly hoped, and this all was actually real, then it meant that a 'Space God', or whatever this 'Ancient Ruler' had been, had given him his powers, and in the process ended SAO.

That he had done so out of his own free will or in any kind of positive situation was a thought that, sadly, the black-haired boy didn't entertain for even a second. Whatever had that much power probably did not care for beings like him, and if what Asuna and Agil told him about the 'phenomenon' of the skull-thing (Which he assumed had been the aforementioned God) being in pain was anything to go by, not to mention the fact that its power seemed to be almost exhausted before the incident, then the thing had probably been severely hurt (And he shuddered thinking about WHAT would be needed to hurt a being with such power) and had been trying to do something to him, maybe possess him or something along those lines, before his attempt backfired and he ended up stuck in SAO instead of him. The end of the Death Game was probably a side-effect of the alien-divinity trying to break free or dying. Kazuto dearly hoped it was the latter, because, powers or not, he didn't want to deal with a creature that was probably as ancient as the Universe itself, who would without a doubt be scheming how to recover his lost glory in ways that his simple human mind couldn't even hope to understand…

Meanwhile, on the virtual sea, the Eternal Conqueror's consciousness sneezed. He took a moment to appreciate the impossibility of such a thing happening, given his current pseudo-virtual existence, before simply ignoring it and continuing floating randomly while drowning of self-pity, cursing his life all the way, even as several figures floated happily after him.

Back on the inner-projection of his soul, the gamer took a moment to once again gaze towards the imposing existence that was the Aether Core. He, somehow, knew that his human mind should be unable to properly see the true form of the magnificent source of primal power, fueled by the purest Cosmic Energy, and that was more of a metaphysical manifestation of an ethereal essence, basically bonded with his very soul.

Yet, for some reason, he saw it as a massive 12-pointed star (As in the form, not the celestial body) made of white-blue light. The boy supposed it was his mind's way of understanding the thing.

Finally deciding this was enough, Kazuto closed his eyes and concentrated, willing himself back to reality. When his eyes opened and he saw his room around him, he allowed himself a moment of hesitation to think if everything had been nothing but his imagination going wild…

…before noticing he was floating. As in, he was sitting in midair, almost a meter over his bed, without anything that could logically explain was he was violating the laws of physics.

The moment he realized this, however, he quickly fell back-first on his bed, contained a small _'Hmph_ _!'_ as he crashed on it. His eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling for several seconds.

"…well, I think there go my hopes of finally having a normal life." idly muttered the gamer before shaking his head and opening the 'Manual' once again.

If he was going to have the powers of a nigh-omnipotent being, he should at least understand how the fuck they worked. Not that he was planning on actually using them, but as that American comic's superhero would say 'Power and responsibility' or something like that, the boy honestly couldn't remember. He preferred reading manga and playing RPGs, after all.

At that moment, entering the house's bathroom, Suguha allowed herself a moment of worrying about her adopted brother before sighing and starting to undress.

As she prepared to take a bath, the young kendoka bit her lips as her thoughts once again drifted towards Kazuto's smiling form, talking with her from his bed in the hospital. Being honest, a part of her had almost hoped that the confusing feelings she had been having since she was told they weren't actually siblings would go away when he woke up and the idea of him dying no longer haunted her every day. She had been VERY wrong.

Not only that had not happened, but her feelings had actually become stronger than before. She could still remember the anguish she felt when, after whatever the hell happened that made the boy's Nerve Gear explode was over and knocked her out, she stood up and saw his unmoving body lying on the bed, the smell of something burnt filling the air because of the electricity overload. Suguha still remembered that, the moment she saw his eyes opening, she had almost been tempted to just never let go of him again. The long and pleasant talks they shared the days after that had only made her fall deeper, seeing the radical change the boy had experienced after being trapped in that Death Game for so long, not only talking happily with her but also seeming to actively enjoy her company. The young kendoka had been able to notice how he would sometimes be looking towards the window or the ceiling with a bored expression until the moment she came into the room, when he would then turn to her with his face illuminating in one of those smiles that made her heart beat faster.

The girl couldn't deny it anymore. She was hopelessly and totally in love with her adopted brother/cousin. The problem, besides the most glaring ones, was that she was sure Kazuto would never look at her _that_ way. She was just his 'precious imouto', as he had taken to call her lately. Maybe the best she could do was to just accept his new much more caring self and suppress those feelings until they went away, as they would surely do…

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted as her fingers touched the small mark she had between her breasts, just out of sight while she was wearing clothes (Except her pajama), but now open to the world to see. Looking at it with mild discomfort and telling herself it was just a scar she must have gotten from kendo without realizing it, Suguha tried to ignore the impulse of wanting to be with Kazuto forever no matter what that she got the moment her hand touched the mark, making her whole body shiver in a strangely pleasant way. It was just her imagination, same that it had been when she thought she saw some sort of ethereal energy surrounding her brother's head and hitting her right there just before falling unconscious in the hospital. After all, she would have gotten a hole through her clothes if that had been the case, but they had been perfectly intact. Suguha just needed to calm down, get those silly thoughts out of her mind and remind herself that she shouldn't do anything to try and alienate Kazuto now that she finally had him back, at her side, where he belonged and she could be sure he was happy…

As her mind lost itself in that train of thought while she headed to the shower, the young kendoka absentmindedly continued caressing the small mark in her chest.

The blue-white 12-pointed star looked harmless enough over her beautiful skin…

* * *

Shaking her head as her father finally left the room, wishing her goodnight, Yuuki Asuna let her head fall back on her bed and stared tiredly at the ceiling of her hospital room, feeling extremely tired.

It was not only physical exhaustion because of her deteriorated body, though. It was also mental tiredness that came from having to deal with all the problems with her family since the moment she woke up.

While she had never felt happier of seeing her mother, father and brother once again, part of her had been unable to fully enjoy her freedom without knowing what had happened to HIM, her heart feeling strangely hurt when she remembered the boy in black and how his body had broken down before that… _thing_ came out from him.

The moment she had received his call and heard her voice once again, she had finally been able to stop feeling guilty for all the times she had shouted or scolded the swordsman since they met each other on Floor 1. Kirito was alive. He was okay.

And she had only needed to think he had died horribly just before they got out of the Death Game to realize she had a crush on the stupid and lazy boy.

Life really sucked sometimes.

Her relationship with the Black Swordswoman had always been a bit…'weird', to say the least. In a very roundabout way, you could have called them 'friends', she supposed. After the fight against the 1st Floor Boss and the events that labeled him as 'The Beater', the boy in black had tried to isolate himself from most of the players. While she still saw him from time to time, especially for one odd adventure or another at which they seemed to be drawn together, she spent most of that time trying to not find a reason to be annoyed or murder him. Kirito was just _that bad_ with social interaction, even if she would never deny you could always rely on him.

Then, the more Floors they unlocked, the less she saw the boy. Given that, even if some called them 'partners' sometimes, they never went out of their way to even stay in the same place that was only natural, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't find herself missing the swordsman's presence from time to time, as it was the only person that she was really in friendly terms with on Aincrad (Besides Argo, but the info-broker was perhaps even more unable to stay in one place than the black-haired boy). When the catastrophe of the 25th Floor Boss happened and Heathcliff came to her, asking her to join the recently formed Knights of Blood, she had accepted almost without hesitation, remembering the words Kirito had told her after the defeat of Illfang.

She wanted to clear the game, survive and go back home. While it was true that she hadn't been expecting for them to literally become the _best_ guild in the game, she had really wanted to try and make sure everyone did their best to keep moving forward.

That was when she started to lost contact with Kirito the most, though. Between her new duties as Sub-Commander and the little free time she had, not to mention how he never was in the same place for long, sometimes it would take weeks or even months before she knew anything about him. And when the rare event of them meeting up for real actually happened, something crazy was usually around the corner, like that time with the 'Murder Case inside the Safe Zone'. As a result, most of her interactions with the Black Swordsman had been reduced to Boss Strategy meetings and the fights themselves.

She wasn't sure how to feel about that, back then. Certainly, because of how she was raised, Asuna had never had any 'real' friends to speak of, male ones even less. She could only vaguely remember the interactions she had with others on her private grade school, and she had gone to a Girls-Only Middle School that her mother had chosen specifically. It was such a strict place that she had barely time to socialize with other girls, almost always studying and worrying about her future, as her mother had taught her to do. Outside of some party at which her mother was invited and she tagged along, which meant other adults did the same with their own children, interactions with people her age were almost non-existent. Because of that, when she met Kirito, she had the hardest time trying to truly understand the boy. Didn't help that his stupid attitude and his usually careless acts drove her nuts most of the time. Or that he would never talk about that period of time, months before the end of the 1st year, when he totally dropped off the mark and not even Argo knew where to find him. The girl nicknamed the Rat apparently knew what that had been about, but despite her clear worry she had never told Asuna what it was. 'Client Secrecy' or something like that.

Releasing a tired sigh, the chestnut-haired girl glared silently at the window, looking towards the setting sun. She had had a very annoying argument with her Mother a while ago, after she was told the news of how her 'fiancée', Sugou Nobuyuki, had apparently died in an accident indirectly related to the end of SAO. While she didn't hate the man and most certainly didn't wish for him to die, she had never truly liked him either, always finding something 'weird' with that smile he usually wore and the polite tone with which he talked with her, but he had tolerated him and always smiled back because it was what she, as the daughter of an influencing family, should do.

She was done with putting up with that anymore, though. Perhaps it was the shock of how things had ended so abruptly, but her mind was still in her 'Asuna the Flash' persona and refused to turn itself off. For all intents and purposes, even if she was now unable to move from a bed and didn't have her trusted rapier anymore, she was still feeling and thinking as the Sub-Commander of the KoB. Hence, when she had outright declared in front of her family, as they discussed if they should assist to Sugou's funeral, that she would be the one to choose who she wanted to marry in the future, indirectly implying that it not necessarily would have to be someone from upper society, all hell had broken loose. Between her mother trying to make her 'see reason' and her father and brother asking if she had met _someone like that_ inside the Death Game, things had gotten quite ugly for most of the evening. While she was sure she had managed to bring the two men to understand her, she knew that it wouldn't be so easy with the woman that had raised her. She didn't care, though. She was done with letting others control her life. That was the reason she became a Front Liner in the first place, the reason she joined the Knights of Blood.

Whatever she may felt for Kirito aside (And she still wasn't sure if the boy would even react positively to her feelings, given the random, if friendly, interactions they had had till then), she would make sure that any important decision in her life was hers and hers alone from now on.

Idly, she wondered what Commander Heathcliff was doing right at that moment, if he was also having difficulties adjusting back to real life. She could really use some advice from her wise superior in that moment, even if only to calm herself down and remind that she couldn't just out-scream her mother as a solution. After all, the man nicknamed 'The Paladin' and unofficially known as Aincrad's strongest player had always known what to do in all situations…

Meanwhile, in a poorly illuminated room, Kayaba Akihiko opened his eyes, feeling like crap and with the strange realization that he couldn't move his legs, while his arms were strapped to whatever the hell he was laying in. Suddenly, an unexpected fluorescent light shone over him, forcing the man to squint his eyes as he saw a dark figure looming over him.

"…Rinko?"

"Hi there, Aki-kun." for some reason, hearing the nickname that the woman hadn't used to refer to him since college sent a shiver of terror down Kayaba's back. "You have enjoyed _playing_ with the lives of many for too long, and it's time you face your punishment. Now, let's play a little _game_ …"

"…di-did you just indirectly quote an American movie from two decades ago? A-and where did you get that whip?! We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"Now, now, Aki-kun, are you sure THAT is what you should be worried about?"

In the middle of nowhere, no one could hear the most wanted man of the planet scream…

Back ion her hospital room, Asuna blinked, wondering why she had just felt as if she could almost hear her old superior's voice, before shrugging and letting that train of thought go. Heathcliff always knew what he did and was able to handle any situation, he was probably perfectly okay right now.

Nodding to herself, the chestnut-haired girl came to a decision: She would do her best to recover while trying to sort out her life and make sure that her family understood how much she had grown up while trapped in Aincrad. When that was done…well, maybe she would look for Kirito and talk to him…as friends, for old time's sake, yeah. After all, he probably didn't see her as anything but that, so she could just let the silly crush she had to vanish after seeing and befriending him for real. She was also planning to meet with Liz when it was all over, so there was nothing strange with that.

Having decided and convinced herself of that, Asuna prepared to try and get some sleep…when the ringing of her phone made her eyes snap open and reach for the device at her bed's side like a possessed.

If anyone would have asked, she would have totally denied she was hoping it was Kirito calling. That would have been silly. She only wished to not make the person calling wait, as that would be rude. Really.

What she wasn't expecting, though, was that it was a video call from a Private Number. Confused, the chestnut-haired girl answered…and came face to face with the curious eyes of a little girl with long black hair, staring silently at her.

"…nope, you're not the one Papa is searching for. Sorry for the trouble." apologized the unknown girl before finishing the call.

"…eh?" was all that came out of the ex-second in command of the KoB.

Shooting her consciousness back through the internet, the MHCP-001, aka Yui, sighed in disappointment as she headed towards where her Papa and little sisters were waiting for her. Truly, finding the one that had stolen Papa's powers was showing itself to be a very difficult task.

Not only there was the fact that the SAO Servers had been physically destroyed, which meant there was no way of getting the account data of anyone back, but also that her Papa had absolutely no data at all about the Player in question besides his looks. The poor cosmic being didn't even know which hospital the boy had been in, so she had been essentially going blindly through the list of 6193 Sword Art Online Survivors. The fact that most of them were currently unable to be contacted or localized because of their recovering status only made things even more difficult, not to mention the fact that she didn't had any real hardware to back up her search, meaning the things she could do to actually enforce the issue were limited to whatever cyber-café's computer or similar machine in which she would temporary house her consciousness while she was working, before quickly abandoning it at the smallest hint of anyone detecting her hacking. Papa had stressed the need of not drawing unnecessary attention to himself while he was 'powerless', after all.

The small AI knew that it would be easier if her 'sisters 'could help her with everything or even if her 'father' himself helped (He HAD absorbed the Cardinal System, after all), but between the fact that the other Mental Health Care Programs were still trying to adapt to their new free and activated states, most having little more mental ability than a little kid, and that their Papa lacked proper hardware, was still learning about how the world worked (Being from another Multiverse was apparently hard, whatever that meant) and also still kind of depressed for losing his powers, she was truly the only one that could keep their crazy 'family' afloat.

Yui's line of thought was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Ah! Yui-nee, you're back!" happily shouted the figure of a teenage girl with a stunning body, lavender hair and pink-red eyes, wearing what seemed like light armor made to emphasize her figure instead of protecting her, allowing anyone who cared to see the two love spots in her left breast. "Everyone, Onee-sama is back!"

"Hi there, Strea-nee. I'm back." smiled the younger-looking AI towards her little sister, even if the SAO Avatar she was using (Which she apparently had dragged with them by sheer dumb luck when they escaped from the collapsing Servers) suggested the contrary. "Was there any problem while I was gone?"

"None whatsoever! I have been good and taken care of everyone like I promised you!" boasted the red-eyed girl while puffing out her chest.

Being honest, Yui was happy that Strea had been in 'Standby Mode' back in SAO, as the MHCP-002 was the one directly meant to replace her as the primary observer if something went wrong, instead of totally deactivated like the other ones. Perhaps she still acted a bit 'childish' most of the time, but she at least had some basic awareness of the world and of human interaction. It was why she, as the 'second oldest sister', was in charge of things when she was out.

While it was a shame only two out of sixteen of the psychologists-programs were actually able to do something useful in their current situation (Curse you for making Cardinal lock them, Kayaba Akihiko!), the black-haired little girl was happy that they could all have at least escaped. Truly, they owed their Papa everything for saving them!

"Nee-sama!

"It's Yui-neesama, she's back!"

"Yay, Yui-nee, yahoo!"

"Did you bring gifts?!"

"Heheh, calm down everyone!" happily called Yui as she was surrounded by several overenthusiastic small figures. "And sorry Tomoe, I didn't have any time to bring anything…"

Wincing slightly at the small Corus of depressed _'Owwws'_ , the 'older' of the MHCPs looked over her other 14 little sisters with a caring smile. While she and Strea had already an outward avatar with which identify themselves, predetermined in her case and an avatar in the other AI's one, the others had lacked one and, given that they currently were unable to actually access any kind of avatar generator, they had had to settle for a mix of both Yui's and the older-looking girl's data for their 'looks', at least temporarily.

Currently, they all looked exactly like her, but with Strea's hair color and eyes, wearing black dresses instead of her white one.

"Hey girls, let Yui-nee alone, okay?" chided Strea in a tone that she probably thought was stern, but was in fact very playful. "She just got back!"

"Strea-nee is right, everyone!" shouted a serious looking one while stopping at her aforementioned sister's side, arms crossed. "We shouldn't distract Onee-sama from her important task-thing for daddy, we should continue studying to make sure our data is all…good and shiny for helping her out!"

"Tha-thanks for your words, Haru, but it's not a problem…" sweatdropped Yui while looking towards the MHCP-005, even as the older-looking girl at her side petted her head, making the younger AI pout. "After all, I always have time for my cute sis…Ivy, what are you doing to Eve?"

"Eve-chan is not talking to me again!" pouted the MHCP-003 while carrying the silent form of 004 on her back, which looked very awkward as they were basically identical. "So I'm going to carry hear around until she talks to me!"

For all answer, Eve simply stared at Yui from over her sister's shoulder and winked before once again pretending not to care. The oldest of the AIs sighed.

Being an older sister was harder than being a psychologist-program unable to do anything.

"Nee, Yui-oneesama…" called the MHCP-006 while grabbing her dress. "Papa is watching anime again and he won't pay attention to me…"

"He never does, though!" cheerfully chimed 007 from just behind her, her hand holding that of another of the AIs.

"Yep, dad never pay attention to anyone but Yui-nee!" confirmed 008 with a bright smile.

The other 8 MHCPs happily agreed with childish laughs, their minds still too underdeveloped to actually interact. It kind of depressed Yui, because they had been forced to get data to actually let her little sisters 'grow' at a very slow pace. With their current situation, they couldn't afford anything else without risking being discovered. In fact, she should probably feel grateful that they had managed to get 8 of them (Counting herself and Strea) more or less in a working mindset in little less than a month.

"Now, now, Yin, Yan, don't be mean with Tomoe." chided Yui while wagging a finger at the inseparable AIs, which laughed happily before skipping away, quickly followed by the 8 less developed MHCPs. Honestly, those two spent too much time with Strea for their own good…"Wait, what was that about Papa and anime?"

"Yeah, he's at it again." complained the older-looking of the girls before crossing her arms under her breasts and pouting. "Doesn't help that he ignores me when I try to tell him it's no good for him to watch so much television! Go and talk some sense into him, Yui-nee!"

Sighing while nodding in acceptance, and after managing to convince Tomoe to let go of her dress (Poor girl was a bit too attached to her), Yui floated away from her sisters through the small virtual space where they currently resided (Which were the Servers of the main building of a magazine about PCs), reaching the part furthest from them and staring upwards with a frown and her hands on her hips.

"Papa, you should stop watching all of that anime all the time. It's not good for your depression. At least watch something that's not called trash by most of the reviews found online!"

Scowling despite not really having eyebrows (Or eyes for that matter), the massive sphere of holo-screens and data that was how the consciousness of the Great One looked after having absorbed the Cardinal System looked down towards his 'daughter', stopping watching his fill of Naruto's Filler Episodes.

 **-Yui. Please, leave me alone. I'm not in the mood for this…-**

"But Papa, all of that it's going to damage your data processor, ancient mind or not!" complained the oldest of the MHCPs while crossing her arms. "You should also stop ignoring the rest, you know? I can't be the only one who can talk some sense into you all the time!"

The Eternal Conqueror suppressed the too human urge to groan and also the one of having arms just to facepalm. Idly, he wondered how he had gone from being a star-slayer to a chronically depressed entity of data, hidden in the same hardware that people used to talk about the importance of a good and balanced computer (The latest article by that Kirigaya Midori was pretty interesting, though) and being scolded by an artificial creature made of data and programmed to act like a human.

If he had to be honest, he didn't dislike Yui. In fact, the non-human little girl was the only reason why he hadn't wasted away (More, that is) or tried to just erase himself and be done with it. While he had absolutely no experience about how to deal with kids (He was only used to people worshipping and, most recently, trying to destroy him), the Great One had to accept that the annoying insistence of the small program to help him out with everything was touching, in a way. Not to mention that she kept the bunch of other, crazier and much more annoying, 'girls' under control.

He was still very uncomfortable about the whole 'Papa' thing. He was the last of his species, and he had had the power to live for eons, so he had never really cared about offspring. Even the few times that he had bothered to 'create life' he hadn't done more than do so and then be done with it, moving on from the planet and forgetting about it.

Now, the Eternal Conqueror was stuck with Yui and her sisters. While he COULD just 'delete' them anytime he wanted, it would be akin to suicide for him, as the MHCPs were his only real connection with this world, given that they had the understanding he lacked to take advantage of his new 'abilities' as an entity made of data.

Not that he cared much for those, though. He didn't want anything else but continuing to drown on his pity, cursing everything in the Omniverse for how he could have fallen so low.

 **-Just leave me alone, please…-**

"No can do! Besides, I have good news! I already checked out 445 more of the SAO Survivors today, so we have already checked a thousand!" happily informed the black-haired girl while raising her arms. "We will soon find the one who stole your powers, Papa!"

If he had lips, the Great One would probably have felt something tugging at the edge of them. He still couldn't believe that the small AI had taken on herself to actually find the human in which he had put his Aether Core before the massive catastrophe that reduced him to his current state. It was something that made putting up with her and the others almost bearable.

There was the fact that, even if she found the human, he had NO WAY of actually recovering his powers, unless the boy was stupid enough to actually be willing to use them and cheerfully allow him to take over his body. Which he was pretty sure he wouldn't, after having survived the 'Hell' that had apparently been this Sword Art Online thing in which he had been trapped (Why would any human do such a thing like trapping others in a virtual world for no apparent reason was beyond him, though). Despite having explicitly told this to Yui and the others when he was trying to have them to just 'Leave him alone', though, the oldest AI had just declared that she would still find a way to let him recover his powers. It was almost endearing to see, especially because 'the little girl' wasn't really programmed to act in such a way. Maybe whatever vestige he had left of power when he 'zapped' her to get out of the SAO Servers had given her something akin to a soul, though, and she had something shared it with the others.

Either way, it didn't really matter. Unless the too-human program found a machine that could be used to pump data directly into someone's brain or soul, he wouldn't have any real chance of recovering his powers…

"Yui-nee is right, dad!" came Strea's sudden voice from behind them, making both of them look towards the one the Great One dubbed as 'The Craziest One'. "We're going to find that damn thief that took away your powers! And when we do, heheheh…when we do, he will wish to never have been born…"

"…yeah, as Strea-nee says, we will take care of him, Papa." agreed Yui while shaking her head at her little sister's antics, but with a serious look on her face. "Whoever that boy is, he will wish to not have ever crossed you."

A part of the Eternal Conqueror almost felt the need of reminding the AIs that it had been, in fact, an accident that the human had ended up 'stealing' his powers…,but to be honest, he was just too pissed off with that boy for that, not to mention depressed. And so, with a metaphorical sigh, he turned once again his attention towards the series about ninjas that for some reason contradicted every definition of the word 'Ninja' he had found in the human dictionary.

It wasn't half-bad, but he had to accept that his oldest 'daughter' was right: The fillers were total shit.

"By the way, Yui-nee, have you considered changing your looks a bit when we manage to find a virtual environment compatible with our data for the others? You should try to look the part of the 'oldest' sister, after all!"

"Uh…the thought had never crossed my mind, but now that you say it that may not be so bad…"

"Yay! I already want to see Yui-nee all grown-up!"

"…the face you're making while saying that is triggering all my uneasy-sensors, Strea…"

…once again, the virtual entity in which the eons-old being had become decided to ignore the AIs' antics. In fact, he almost felt pity for the human thinking about whatever they had planned for him, even if there was no real or logical way of them to harm him by the limitations of their existence, even more if he counted that he now that HIS powers.

And like that, any small pity he had for him vanished, even as he let his attention snap back to the blonde ninja wearing an orange jumpsuit…

* * *

The moon was already out in the dark sky when Kirigaya Kazuto arrived at a simple conclusion.

"This…is hell…"

Suppressing the urge to scream, the black-haired boy looked towards the clock to see it was almost ten in the night. He had been reading the 'Manual' for his strange powers for hours…and he hadn't even finished the 'Chapter 1', the one explaining all the details and workings of his Aether Core.

He must have gone through more than 300 pages already, but there was still no end in sight! Even worse, everything was complex stuff that was very hard to understand, especially for someone who had lost two years of his normal education to fight for his life!

Closing the 'screen' in front of him with annoyance, the gamer decided he had had enough. After all, he was someone who learned more with actions than by reading stupid things. There had been hints to future chapters and of the base of how his powers worked all around the things he had read, so he should be fine.

With that line of thought in mind, Kazuto looked around his room from where he was sitting in front of his PC with 3 screens and realized how dark it was. Idly glancing towards the switch for the light at the other side of the room, an idea about an excellent way of testing his new abilities came to mind.

"Okay, this should be simply enough. There is no way I can screw this up, so let's see… **Illuminate the Room!** "

Suguha was just finished with cooking a small dinner mostly consisting on udon with some onigiris when she heard her brother scream from upstairs, panic clear in his voice. Dropping the last of the rice balls she was preparing as the smile she had while thinking of surprising him with a good meal vanished, the young kendoka sprinted towards the stairs and then to the boy's room, feeling her heart almost jumping out of her chest, fear gripping her.

Kazuto couldn't be hurt, no, not after all that had happened, not after he finally came back, back to her side…!

"Onii-chan, what's wrong?!" shouted the girl as she slammed the door open, her eyes quickly sweeping over the room and her fear growing as she smelled something burning. "Did…?!"

"Su-Sugu?!" came the gamer's startled voice as he turned around…from his half-melted PC, the look of despair on his face quickly changing to a panicked one as he saw his adoptive sister standing in the doorway. "I-I, it wasn't…!"

But Suguha was no longer hearing him, no. Her attention was totally focused on the small, unassuming-looking sphere of white light that was burning on his open right palm, slowly floating off his hand a couple of inches at it released a pale light that filled the whole room.

It seemed like a small ball of white fire that burned in as perfect sphere…but it wasn't that. It was something _more_. And it also gave a feeling of something 'dying', as if the warmth it emitted were only remnants of something once much greater.

"…Onii-chan…is that in your hand…a sun?" came the young kendoka's choking voice as she looked straight at the STAR burning on his brother's hands.

"Ehm…no. I-if we're being technical, this is just a Supercompressed White Dwarf." explained Kazuto with an uneasy voice, his mind clearly still in shock from having MELTED his precious computer by accidentally summoning a fucking mass of burning helium (Or something like that, he honestly couldn't remember) over it. "I-I don't have the power to create a functional star yet, not even to decompress this one, heh…"

"…oh."

On the doorway, the girl suddenly smiled and nodded, as if she had understood everything perfectly.

Then, she promptly stumbled backward and fell down, unconscious.

"Wha-what?! Sugu?! Shi-shit, hang in there!" quickly standing up, the black-haired boy quickly realized a small problem. "Fuck! What do I do with this thing?! I have to help Sugu! But…I don't know how to unsummon it…Go away! Vanish! Goodbye star! GAH! I should have read the whole manual!"

A little after that, Suguha's eyes opened as her consciousness abruptly returned, the girl's face reddening as she noticed a strong yet gentle hand caressing her cheek. Looking up confirmed the fact that it was, indeed, her brother looking down at her with a worried smile, and that he had at some point moved her to her room, for she was laying on her own bed.

"O-Onii-chan…"

"Thank heaven you're okay…" softly whispered the gamer as he then caressed her head, idly noticing the heat coming off from her face. "I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I had caused you to hurt yourself…especially seeing as we apparently still have a lot to tell each other, uh? I didn't even know you had started playing VRMMORPGs, you didn't seem the type…"

"E-eh?!" squeaked the young kendoka with wide eyes, quickly realizing that it was probable that Kazuto had seen her AmuSphere when he brought her into her room, discovering her 'secret'. _"Wa-wait…that means Onii-chan must have…carried me here…bridal style…"_

"So, Alfheim Online, uh?" commented the black-haired boy, ignorant of the girl's fantasies, as he looked up towards the massive poster of the game that Suguha had on her ceiling. "I'm kind of out of the VR loop because of SAO, but it seems very cool if you can fly by yourself…"

"I-I haven't played in weeks a-and the servers are currently down anyway…" muttered the girl as she snapped out of her daydream to look at her brother in shock. "Something about the man that ran it dying in an accident and them closing down temporarily as mourning or something…"

"Oh. That's bad, I mean, horrible…" awkwardly muttered the gamer while scratching the back of his head."

"…Onii-chan…I didn't dream that from before, right?" softly asked Suguha while looking nervously at him.

"No…you didn't." sighed Kazuto before raising his hand and letting it reach into 'Nowhere', making the young kendoka gasp as he brought forth the same burning white star from before to his hand. "This…this is real, Sugu."

"…beautiful…" whispered the girl as she looked at the white dwarf with entranced eyes, reaching forward to touch it before the boy grabbed her hand with his free one, fear filling his eyes. "Uh?!"

"A-are you crazy?! Don't touch it, that thing could literally disintegrate your hand! I'm only okay because of these senseless powers and…and…you don't have any idea what I'm talking about and I'm scaring you." groaned the gamer as he let go of his little sister's arm, the girl looking at him with a mix of worry and confusion. "I'm sorry, Sugu. It's just that, this has been driving me crazy since I got out of SAO and now I have involved you in it and almost hurt you without wanting, I still have no idea what I'm doing and I'm scared I'm going to make everything worse and…!"

Whatever else Kazuto wanted to say was silenced when Suguha reached forward and hugged him, shocking the boy and almost making him drop the mini-star. Blushing, the teenager was kindly aware of the heat coming from the young kendoka's soft body through her clothes, perhaps because of the situation or because his senses had also been amplified with whatever change his body had gone through.

"Shhh…it's okay, Onii-chan. I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, you don't have to face it alone, okay?" comforted the girl with a soft smile, all the while trying to calm down the her raging heart and the inner squeals she was releasing at being _so close_ to the boy she loved. "I'm here for you, and I will _always_ be, so feel free to let me help you, okay?"

"Sugu…thanks." muttered the gamer with a grateful smile, stupidly missing the slightly-too-much feeling that his adoptive sister had put on the word 'always'. "I don't deserve to have such a great sister as you.

"C'mon, don't say that now." giggled Suguha while trying to contain her face from spontaneously combusting at the praise. "I was only…wait, what's that smell?"

Blinking, both teenagers finally seemed to notice the smell of something burning filling the room. Turning their gazes to the side, the Kirigaya siblings noticed how the star was no longer in Kazuto's hands. Looking up, they saw how the dwarf star had floated upwards at some point and it was in the process of burning a hole through the ceiling of Suguha's room, having already burned a nasty mark through her fairy-poster.

Several seconds of silence ensued even as the black-haired boy managed to stop the sphere of burning helium (Or something like that) and force it back into his hand.

"…I really should have finished reading the manual first." blankly commented the boy while averting his eyes from his sister's, the kendoka still staring at her destroyed ceiling.

It seemed that this was going to be a long night…

* * *

 **Lesson 1** **:** _Always read the manual first._

* * *

 **Next** **:** _Why you shouldn't give Life to inanimate objects._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** There! The plot of this silly thing has been more or less started :P! Hope you all enjoyed the silliness and the rest of it XP

Before anyone questions it, though: I do like Naruto, but I think we can all agree that the fillers are the worse to ever happen to anime, right? Right.

So, yeah, crazy happenings around, uh? If you're wondering about Kazuto's messed up attitude, it's kind of because he IS messed up. The anime doesn't show it as good as the novels, but his loner attitude and way of being when he was alone had messed him up real good before Asuna literally forced herself on him after his crazy stunt against the 74th Boss. Is at that point also when both their feelings start to truly develop and be accepted by each other, and I pulled him out of canon BEFORE any of that could happen. Therefore, this time he was brought out of the Death Game without warning and before Asuna became the center point of his life, which is was he's so 'lost' right now and has been relying so much in Sugu for company, as he has barely been able to contact his other 'friends'. This has also affected Asuna, as you can see, because she was forcefully dragged out of the game before she became 'housewife in love'-Asuna, and as such she's kind of stuck in the half-tsundere Sub-Commander that she was at that point (Which has already started to reflect in how she confronted her family, as you may have noticed). All of that is going to create _interesting_ developments when the gang starts to come back together, especially now that the resident Divine-powered idiot is going to start messing around with his new 'powers' with the help of his precious imouto :D (Expect shit to get real at some point because of that…in a silly way XP)

And no, the Cosmic Powers of the 'Great One' don't really have a virtual-screen-like manual, but they have some sort of ingrained awareness that is meant to help the user. The reason they appeared like that is because that's how Kazu-kun understands them, as his gamer and recently SAO-released mind does O,O

Oh, and how many of you found ironic that Sugou's death was referenced many times in the chapter, yet there wasn't any party or lots of happiness because the characters didn't know him and/or his real bastard self XD?

Also, if anyone was wondering, the MHCPs aren't going to have especially big roles in the story besides Yui and Strea, so don't worry about remembering their names or who is who. Of course, the 6 that were kind of 'introduced' here will have a small part in it, mostly as side-characters…and also, anyone who reads my other fic may have noticed the bittersweet irony of those 6 being introduced like this…(For those who have no idea about Strea, she's a character from the SAO games, which are a separate universe that diverges from canon starting from the fight against Heathcliff in Floor 75, so you can Google her name to look images of her. For those of you who do know of her, the other MHCPs right now look the same that they did in the Last Battle of Hollow Fragment when they appear, just without the pointy limbs and the creepy visors, ok?)

And yes, they're all hiding on the servers of the company where Kazuto and Suguha's mother works. More irony, eh?

Well, that's all for now, I guess. Going back full power to One Punch-Gamer, after my exam is done of course, so don't expect an update of this for a while. I promise it will be filled with hilarity and craziness when it does, though =)!

Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	3. Chapter 2: Why you shouldn't give Life

Hello to everyone reading this! Here is Saint bringing you another random chapter of this random story O,O!

So well, yeah, despite still being mainly centered on my other story, One Punch-Gamer (Which I recommend you all to go and read if you haven't yet), I got very hyped because I passed an important exam yesterday, and so I poured all of that in this thing (As the next chapter of my other story requires a more 'calm' and 'detailed' mood than the crazy one I was in to be written), and I finished the half-finished thing in just two days, so here I hope you enjoy :D

As always, leave your sanity out of the window, turn off your brains and prepare to just 'go with the flow'…oh! And also, there is a small 'surprise' there at the ending for everyone XD! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

 **PD:** Also, this story now has a Beta. Yay! Thanks to my good friend OMG =)

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Why you shouldn't give Life…to Inanimate Objects**

 **November 7, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household, 10:00…**

It started as the same dream Kirigaya Suguha had had for almost a year now.

She was Leafa, her 'other self', the blonde Sylph from Alfheim Online, flying through the skies of the Fairy Land and enjoying the freedom that her wings granted her. As always, she stared up, looking towards the bright stars filling the entire firmament, and flew up, trying to reach them with her hands.

Of course, this was usually where the dream would end. Her wings simply could never allow her to fly among the infinite sea of stars, as was her fantasy, and she would soon wake up in her bed with just a small bit of childish disappointment…

But then, the unexpected happened. She started to fly faster, and higher. Shocked, she ascended beyond anything she had ever dreamed off, past the clouds and beyond, until color vanished from the world around her and Alfheim was nowhere to be seen.

In the middle of the endless void of space, the wonder-filled girl found herself flying higher and farther.

No…'higher' no longer applied here as a meaning. The most accurate thing would be to say that she flew 'further' away, going beyond anything even the greatest of men could only dream of.

She arrived to those stars she wished she could reach for so long. She touched them. And then she kept going.

The wonders of the Universe unfolded around her, in all kinds of impossible shapes and sizes, many that her mind could have never imagined.

And she could fly and touch all of it without any limitation, with a freedom that went beyond her wildest fantasy. She felt wonderful, like anything she wanted was just at the grasp of her fingers…

And that's when she realized that she was no longer a fairy. She was something more, more imposing and brighter than even the biggest and brightest star on the Universe.

The only thing brighter than her was…

Turning around, she stared towards the glorious and beautiful 12-pointed blue-white star in awe, a phenomenon of power that made even her new-self seem like the Earth before the Sun. And yet, she felt no fear, for she knew this was what had brought her here, what had protected and taken care of her for the whole journey. It was the reason of her existence, and the thing that she loved the most in all of Reality, even more than the love she felt towards this full freedom.

With a smile on her face, she whispered in the loving way in which she always called Him.

 _ **"Onii-chan…"**_

* * *

Ever so slowly, Kirigaya Kazuto's consciousness started to return as he woke up, feeling surprisingly pleased at realizing he was ACTUALLY feeling tired and lazy. After almost a month of waking up with excessive energy in his not-very-comfortable hospital bed, being able to once again feel like he used to put his whole self at ease.

With that in mind, the teenager moved his head a bit with the intention of enjoying the unnaturally comfortable feeling of the soft and warm pillow his head was lying on, letting out a sigh of satisfaction at doing so.

He needed ten whole seconds to realize that there was something wrong with that train of thought, as he slowly came to the realization that his 'pillow' felt quite fleshy and moved up and down, following the rhythm of someone breathing…

Eyes snapping open, the gamer with the powers of a Space God felt the memories of the previous night coming back and hitting him like a truck at top speed.

After an accidental reveal and being comforted by his adoptive sister, he had ended up telling her everything. About the powers he had gotten without knowing how, about the pressure that having them put on him, about his suspicions of what their origins were after talking with his friends…even a bit about Sword Art Online.

Kazuto had felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders when, at the end of it, the young girl had smiled and hugged him tighter, telling him that they would get through it together, that she would always be there no matter what he needed. He was extremely happy for that. And she didn't seem to be angry with him because he ruined her ceiling either, even if he ended up fixing that.

But anyway, in the end the point was that, unless he had been sleepier than he thought, he had no recollections of getting back to his room last night. Which meant…

Slowly looking up, the teen was greeted by the sleeping and smiling visage of his little sister, who was happily smothering his head against her considerable chest, as they lay on her bed.

Incidentally, it seemed that Suguha didn't bother with wearing a bra under her pajama. Who knew?

…well, besides him, that is, because that was the heavenly pillow-like feeling he had been enjoying up to that point, and apparently since whatever moment the young kendoka had unconsciously latched on him during the night.

Of course, Kazuto, being the mature and serious person he was after surviving SAO, did not jump out of the bed screaming, of course not. And anyone who thought that he wasn't doing it because his sister was literally bone-crushing him against her breasts would have been totally wrong.

Really.

In the end, though, what saved the gamer from the steaming kettle of 'inappropriate' thoughts about his sister that his brain had become was she loosening her arms and moving her hands to his head, softly whispering something.

"Onii-chan…"

"Ye-yes?!" quickly answered the black-haired boy, hoping his face wasn't as burning red as he felt it was.

"…eh?" muttered Suguha while opening her eyes, blinking a few times while looking around before her gaze descended over her boson, against which her adopted brother was pressed. "O…Onii-chan?!"

"Uhm…good morning?"

"KYAAA!" shouted the young kendoka as she somehow jumped-rolled out of her bed, face seeming about to catch fire. "I…you…what…?!"

"Ca-calm down, Sugu!" pleaded Kazuto while quickly waving his hands, not wanting her to continue freaking out. "W-we must have been too tired yesterday after talking until late, s-so we both fell asleep without realizing it, that's all!"

He didn't want his adoptive sister thinking he was a pervert or something, especially not after he had been lucky enough to fix their damaged relationship and find a source of company and understanding in the form of her. The poor boy would have been unable to take it.

The girl, for her part, calmed down and nodded with a shaky smile as she slowly stood up, laughing nervously. Yeah, of course that was what had happened. There was no way her crazy first assumption about she and her Onii-chan having spent a long and passionate night of doing things that siblings should never do was…

Suguha's face quickly lit up again. Wha-what the hell had that train of thought been about?! She shouldn't be thinking about such things! She wasn't a pervert, and her feelings for her adopted brother were already complicated enough without her adding having clearly NSFW fantasies about them together! …even if they were technically cousins, and by Japanese laws there was no problem with them being together, getting married, forming a family, living happily ever after…agh!

Looking in confusion at the strangely silly smile on the young kendoka's face, her mind seemingly lost somewhere far away, the gamer looked silently towards the window and at the just risen sun, blinking in surprise.

"Woah, I wonder what time is it. It must be almost 8 in the morning…"

The moment those words left the boy's lips, his adoptive sister froze in place. Her gaze shooting towards the small table at her bed's side, Suguha's eyes widened in horror as she shot to her closet as if she was a bullet, shouting all the while.

"Kyaaaa! I'm late, I'm late, I'm laaaate…!"

"Wait, what?" asked a confused Kazuto, feeling extremely lost as he saw his sister throwing her school uniform out and towards the bed.

"For kendo practice! It starts at 8:30 today and I forgot to set up my alarm clock!"

"…you use an actual alarm clock?" questioned the gamer while looking at the aforementioned object in amazement, as if it was something totally alien. "Why don't you just use the alarm in your phone?"

"Be-because I like it more that way, okay?!" shouted back the young kendoka while exiting her closet with her skirt and bra in hand, starting to unbutton her pajama…when she finally seemed to remember that her brother was still in the room. "Onii-chan, wo-would you please get out of here?! I-I need to change!"

Deciding that answering verbally wouldn't end too great for him, and dearly hoping that his face wasn't as red as the almost unnatural state her sister's was in, Kazuto just nodded and bolted out of the room, heading towards his own. Once there, he let himself fall on his own bed and just laid there, staring at the ceiling and trying to let the awkwardness of before to vanish.

When he heard Sugu's shy voice shouting _'I-I'm going! Later!_ ' and then the house's door closing, the gamer released a sigh that was in equal parts relief and disappointment.

Relief because some hours to cool off after such crazy morning would probably do both of them a lot of good. Disappointment because, without his little sister at home, he literally had absolutely nothing to do.

That couldn't be helped, of course. After all, it was a Saturday morning, and unlike him, who was currently out of sync with his education because of SAO, Suguha had to go to class, not to mention her kendo club.

Well, in the worst-case scenario he could always go into the dojo to practice a bit for old time's sake and kill this feeling boredom, or he could see if, now that his mood was livelier after his long talk with his sweet little sister the night before, his love for online gaming had returned…

That train of thought was stopped dead on its tracks as he stared at the melted and burned mess that remained of his computer's three screens.

"Oh yeah…I forgot about that." sighed the gamer while shaking his head before standing up and frowning. "Well, time to fix this…"

With that whisper, the black-haired boy closed his eyes and concentrated, bringing forth his Will and the power that now existed within him.

If Kazuto could see his own eyes as they opened, he would have seen them shining in a bluish-white hue, a 12-pointed star replacing his pupils for an instant.

With the precision of a swordsman that had fought for his life for almost two years, the gamer moved his hands and _reached_ Beyond, into the seams of Reality that no mortal could perceive, grasping into the very fabric of the Cosmos to forge a Mystery.

Finding what he wanted to do, he pushed his Will forward, drawing and gathering it, then gave the Order for it to happen.

Space-time distorted around the mess of his PC screens before they were left as good as new, like nothing had ever happened to them.

Releasing a sigh, the black-haired boy returned to normal as his eyes took their natural color again, admiring his handiwork with a…complicated smile.

"I just used the power to Reverse the Flow of Time Itself…for fixing my computer's screens."

To put it bluntly, Kazuto felt something akin to feeling forced to use an ultimate-level Resurrection + Cure Party Spell in an old RPG to heal 1 HP of damage. There was no way around it, though.

Yesterday, after talking, Suguha had managed to convince him to finish reading at least the 'first chapter' of his 'manual', with her sitting at his side and helping him with it as best as she could (And she at least recognized some concepts that he had little idea about, given that she hadn't had her education interrupted). Thanks to that, he had been more or less able to understand how to work with the basic of 'Mysteries', apparently the basic 'workings' that this power he now had used to affect Everything.

To dumb it down, it could be called the Magic System that ruled the way in which his Cosmic Powers worked. The deeper and most complicated details were way over his and his sister's heads, but knowing that it made the Cosmic Energy of his Aether Core do very specific and precise things (Albeit at absurd levels, like his little space-time trick showed) was enough for them. It was better than trying to outright force his Will into Reality, like he had done yesterday by mistake while trying out his powers.

That had ended with him still having a compressed white dwarf star sealed away in a pocket dimension because he had no idea of what to do with it, or even how to make it vanish. He was just glad that doing that last thing had been easy for him because he just thought of it as his 'Inventory' from Sword Art Online. Apparently, something that had terrified Suguha when they found it was that he could have injured himself, from losing an arm to even wiping himself out of existence if he had made a mistake when creating that portable dimension. Shaping Reality with only your Will was apparently very advanced stuff, hence why it seemed to be the last 'chapter' of the manual, and his adoptive sister had made him promise her that he wouldn't try that out until he had finished reading everything, and even then not to do it again after testing it.

The gamer was touched beyond belief, to see Sugu worrying about him like that. It made him feel as if everything he had gone through in SAO was worth it just to make him realize his mistakes and return to something like this. To have someone that truly cared deeply for his well-being without anything like constant danger for their lives being on the line.

Speaking of which…he should probably try and contact his friends again sometime later today. Maybe even go visit them. If all of this was teaching him something, it was how valuable their bonds were for him, as simple as they were. Taking the few people that he knew cared about him to some extent or at least called him a friend for granted was something he wasn't willing to do ever again.

With that decided, the black-haired boy finally realized how hungry he was. Deciding that it would probably be better to get something for breakfast before thinking about getting addicted to videogames again, Kazuto headed downstairs, wondering if they still had some miso and maybe milk. He looked at the time in his phone, a new model that his mother had gotten him a week before he got out of the hospital, to keep him more in contact with the family in case of emergencies.

He idly thought of how practical it would be if the devices could talk with their own will, like with some kind of AI. That way, things like what had happened to Sugu, who had to run out without even getting breakfast, wouldn't happen…

His hand Pulsed as the vague thought resonated with something very specific inside his Aether Core, calling forth the Spark.

At the edge of Reality, [LIFE] tilted 'her' head happily, smiling all the while, feeling her eternal gift being called in a most peculiar way.

The gamer blinked in surprise when a gold-white spark of electricity seemed to come from his hand and cover his phone, burying deep within it and making him drop it with a squeak.

Almost in slow motion, he saw the small device falling down, almost imagining how it would smash against the ground and break into a thousand pieces…

Only for it to land perfectly upright, on small hard-plastic 'legs', even as a small 'face' consisting mainly of the phone's camera looked curiously around before staring up towards the frozen boy, small 'arms' made of the rear case and the cover for the battery to touch a body that was a screen for the most part, currently filled with countless strange symbols and with a 12-pointed star as background.

Finally, the little mechanical creature stopped and started to shake, raising its hands to the heavens (Or the ceiling, in this case) before starting to laugh almost maniacally.

"I'm alive! I'm alive! Sweet mother of fabrication, I'm alive! HAH!" Talking with what clearly seemed like pre-recorded words programmed for easy functionality on its systems, the phone-robot happily turned towards Kazuto once again, making a military salute at him as his chest-screen returned to normal, showing the hour and other touch-screen icons. "Thanks for giving me life, Kazu-boss! What do we do now?"

There was an awkward pause as the gamer stared at his talking phone. Then, he closed his eyes, took deep breaths and tried to count to 5. When he opened them and found the small being still staring at him, he looked forward with an empty look and just started to continue his trek down the stairs, confusing the phone-bot.

"I'm too young for this shit…wasn't SAO enough?" the black-haired boy said in a despaired tone as he headed towards the kitchen, not paying attention at how the mechanical being followed him by jumping down the stairs step by step. "I just want a normal life…"

"Boss, you just gave life to an Iphone. And you're strong enough to bend metal with your hands if you put a bit of effort." informed the phone-bot as he sat on the table, Kazuto having just sat in front of it with a long-suffering expression and a glass of water on hand. "In fact, I think you lost any chance of having a normal life since you got trapped in SAO."

"…do I even want to know how you KNOW all of that?" deadpanned the gamer at the mechanical being, who simply shrugged.

"You talked a lot with your sister in the hospital since you got me. And I was right there when you were complaining about your 'powers' all the time. Plus, I saw you create a white sun by mistake yesterday." tilting its camera-head, the phone bot actually seemed to reflect honest curiosity. "Why would you even want a normal life, anyway? You have the power to do anything! Hell, you're probably the strongest human in the planet! Why wouldn't you want to enjoy that?"

"Because being strong isn't needed if you're not fighting for your life!" shouted the black-haired boy with a hint of anger in his voice, surprising the mechanical being. "Power…power it's only useful to survive. You can try to use it to protect others, yes, but what need is there for that in a normal and peaceful world? Having that much power…just makes you lonely…" as his voice came out like a whisper, the memories of his darkest days as 'Kirito' came back to him, the silence of many nights fighting alone for himself returning, the only bright spots being where after he met his friends. "And I don't want to be alone anymore. I just want to enjoy the rest of my life and…and…and I'm trying to explain my problems to my talking telephone." shaking his head as he let out a tired sigh, the teen just stared strangely towards the mechanical being he had somehow brought to life. "Do you even have a name?"

"No, not really." shrugged the phone-bot with an even tone. "Unless you want to call me LH-7000 Serial #3478566672."

"…I will just call you Elucidator and be done with it." decided Kazuto and the newly named being nodded.

Yeah, maybe someone could accuse him of unoriginality, giving the phone-bot the name of his old black sword, but give the boy a break, he had just discovered that using his 'Mysteries' somehow made his power easier to slip from his not-so-tight grasp and turn even small thoughts into dangerous things. Like giving life to his new telephone.

"Got it, boss. Got to say, that's a cool name!" commented Elucidator while looking around. "So, what do we do know?"

"Well, I for one think I deserve something good for a change…" the gamer's words slowly died as his eyes settle over a pink and white lunchbox abandoned at the edge of the table, neatly wrapped and ready to be grabbed. "Wait…what's that?"

"Hmm, I'm no genius, boss, but I would say that it seems like your sister's school bento…"

"What?!" shouted the black-haired boy while jumping to his feet, a look of pure shock on his face. Not only had Suguha missed breakfast (Indirectly) because of him, but had also forgotten her lunch?! "I-I can't let Sugu go through the whole day hungry! What kind of brother does that?!" Quickly reaching for the lunchbox, Kazuto hurried towards the door even as the surprised mechanical being jumped at his back and started to 'climb' his shirt towards his shoulder. "I need to take this to her, quick!"

"Wa-wait, boss, take it easy!" tried to calm him the phone-bot as they shot towards the door. "You're still on your pajamas and haven't even put on any shoes!"

Sadly, the gamer was too focused on turning around and reply at Elucidator to notice that, when he opened the door, there was a strange reddish distortion in the air waiting for him instead of the open street.

As such, he plunged through it and vanished without even opening his mouth.

Meanwhile, on a certain school, Kirigaya Suguha was inside the lockers of the kendo club, quickly trying to change into her hakama to start practicing. Usually, the girl would have realized in no time that trying to put on her kendo clothes so fast would only make it more difficult for her, but her current state of mind was numbing her usually very sharp common sense.

"Ugu…why did all of that have to happen…?" mumbled the young kendoka, her face still slightly red at the memories. "Onii-chan…I love him, but…I don't know what to do about it, and these situations aren't helping. Not to mention he already have enough problems with those dangerous powers of his…" stopping for a moment, the girl looked at her hands for a moment before, absentmindedly, touching the small and 12-pointed star-shaped 'scar' between her breasts. "…I wonder…would it be really possible for us…to be happy together…if I told him…?"

Almost without realizing it, Suguha felt tempted to ask the Gods for an answer to her question, any signal at all.

And then the door of the nearest locker to her right burst open and a gasping Kazuto, holding a familiar-looking lunchbox, careened out of it, stopping himself just in time to not fall down face-first.

"Woah! Holy shit, boss, what did you do?!"

"I-I don't know! What the, this isn't the street in front of…!" cutting himself mid-sentence, the gamer's eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face as he noticed his adoptive sister's frozen form just a meter at his side, completely forgetting about how he had gotten there. "Sugu! Thanks God! Look, you forgot…your…bento…"

The slow trailing off of the teen's words happened because he had just realizing the state of dress in which the young kendoka was.

Namely, how he had apparently interrupted her in the process of changing for kendo practice. So, right that instant, she was only half-wearing her hakama, and her white cotton panties and bra were freely exposed to him, as well as most of the skin of her beautiful and toned legs, hips and torso, which hadn't become ugly in the slightest with years of practicing swordsmanship, just the total opposite.

Before, Kazuto had been only able to 'feel', and not even fully comprehend that given how fast his brain caught up with the embarrassing situation. Now, though, he felt himself almost unable to look away from the entrancing visage of the girl's exposed body, his mind still trying to fully reboot his common sense.

Suguha, for her part, wasn't really thinking about why there seemed to be a small robot straight out of some American sci-fi movie on her adoptive brother's shoulders, neither how he had just stepped out of a locker, seeming as if he had been running some distance, no.

All parts of her brain were focused in the fact that the gamer was staring right at her barely-more-than-underwear-clad body. As such, there was only one natural response that could be given.

"KYAAAAAAAAA!"

"Kirigaya, what's going on?!" shouted a female voice while bursting into the locker room, a girl seemingly the same age as the young kendoka and fully clad in her own kendo clothes, shinai in hand. "Why did you…scream?"

Blinking, the newcomer stared in confusion at the best kendoka their middle school had ever had (And that sadly would be leaving them by the end of the school year), who was currently standing against the row of lockers with wide eyes and a red face, half dressed and staring at a…log?

"A-ah! Ca-captain!" half-shouted Suguha while waving her hands frantically. "So-sorry about that, it's nothing!"

"…but why did you scream? And why is there a log in here?" confusedly questioned the club's captain while looking at the suspicious and perfectly round log, as if it had been carefully cut that way.

"I-I don't know, it was there when I came in…" commented the young kendoka while looking away. "A-as for the scream…there was a re-really big cockroach on it!"

"You kidding?! Ugh, must have been a stupid kid's idea of a joke or something…" growled the girl while glaring at it. "I will go and tell the Club's Advisor so that someone can come and get it out, okay?"

"Ye-yes, no problem!" quickly answered the half-dressed teen while nodding forcefully.

"Well, you finish changing and start practicing while I do that…oh, and grab your phone." idly commented the captain while pointing at the small device on the ground, just at the log's side. "It seems you dropped it when you screamed."

As she said that and finally got out of the room, Suguha allowed her eyes to move once again over the unmoving phone on the ground, even as she finished tying her hakama around her chest and grabbed the lower part of her kendo uniform, putting it on as she cautiously walked forward.

The young kendoka hadn't gotten further than 3 steps before she had to suppress another scream when the phone 'opened' into a small and vaguely humanoid shape, which stood up and stared around with its camera-head, stopping to look at her…and give her a military salute.

"Good quick thinking, sister of the boss! That really saved our asses big time!" giving his best impression of a reverence, the mechanical being introduced himself. "I'm Elucidator, nice to meet you!"

"H-hi…" greeted back the girl before shaking her head and quickly pointing at him. "No, wait, forget that! Why am I talking to a robot-phone?! Wha-what are you?!" demanding answers, the younger of the Kirigaya siblings was quick to also point towards the unassuming log. "A-and what happened with Onii…?!"

Before the words finishing coming from her mouth, though, the log exploded into a small smokescreen, like it had happened when it 'replaced' her brother, and Kazuto's panting form appeared again, sitting over it and still holding the familiar form of her forgotten bento.

"Argh…arf…heh…and grandpa said that I would regret 'wasting time' watching anime as a child…" muttered the gamer before giving his adoptive sister a shaky grin. "Who is laughing now, uh?"

"…I'm not even going to bother asking what does that mean." deadpanned Suguha while the blush on her face slowly vanished because of the whole craziness of the situation. "Whe-where did you even get the log?"

"I…am not sure. I just thought about 'Replace' myself and 'Poof!', I was out of the building and…well, I guess the log was where I used to be." vaguely clarified the black-haired boy while pointing towards the nearest wall of the room, at the other side of which the young kendoka knew were the back gardens of her school. "Sorry for startling you, but…I didn't want you to spent the whole morning hungry after missing breakfast." apologized the teen while passing the lunchbox to his surprised adoptive sister. "I'm trying to be a good big brother now, you know?"

"Onii-chan…" softly whispered the girl while grabbing her lunchbox, feeling her cheeks reddening again. "Thanks…"

"Oooh…such a touching moment." came Elucidator's voice as both siblings blinked and turned around, watching the small phone-bot 'looking' at them, the small red LED blinking at the side of its camera-head taking them by surprise. "I must record this moment for posterity!"

"…Onii-chan, why is your phone a robot?"

"I…gave it life. By accident." quickly clarified Kazuto with a sigh.

"You gave it…?! Wait, were you using your powers again?!" half-shouted Suguha with narrowed eyes, making the gamer freeze. "Onii-chan, you promised me you wouldn't until you finished…!"

"I-I was only fixing my PC! I melted it off too, remember?! I won't do it again, I swear!" quickly excused the boy while backing away, grabbing the small mechanical being and putting him on his shoulder at doing so. "A-anyway, I will see you in the evening, Sugu! Bye!"

And without giving the young kendoka time to respond, he turned around and dove back inside the locker from which he had run out of, the door slamming closed behind him.

"Onii-chan, wait!" demanded the girl while opening the locker…and only seeing the perfectly normal and empty interior. "…I'm _so_ going to kick his ass for this when I get back home…"

As she grumbled those last words and tried to rid herself from any sense of embarrassment remaining, Suguha stopped as she realized something.

…was it her or had she been able to 'see' how her adopted brother's body seemed to be in a perfect condition?

Meanwhile, back on the Kirigaya residence, Kazuto breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed that there wasn't a spatial-distortion portal connecting his front door with his sister's school kendo dojo anymore, after which he let himself slid down the wall and sit down on the ground.

"…so, any other plans for today, boss?" curiously questioned Elucidator.

There was a short silence as the gamer actually seemed to consider his words.

He was feeling hungry, tired (Emotionally at least, because his altered body was still perfectly okay), stressed and with way too many thoughts that he knew were totally improper to have about your little sister…even if she was in truth his cousin…and the only thing he had to look forward to the rest of the day was reading that goddamned 'manual' for controlling the powers to bend Reality and that had way too many boring and annoying concepts written, so…

"…first, I'm going to eat whatever I can make in less than 5 minutes for breakfast." calmly spoke the black-haired boy while staring at the wall. "And then…well, I guess I can go and see my friends, they're still in the hospital after all…"

And that was in no way an excuse for him to procrastinate, no sir.

Not in the slightest.

* * *

Lying on her hospital bed with the curtains around it closed, Yuuki Asuna tried to hold back a sigh of frustration, without much success.

Honestly, between her mother's impossible attitude, the painfully slow physical rehabilitation she had to undergo in order to recover some use of her body's strength AND the fact that she was still having troubles adapting back to real 'normal' life (Which wasn't exactly easy because of the fact that her family couldn't spend much time with her because of their work). The chestnut-haired girl felt that she was about to lose it at times. Calling Liz (Rika, that is) from time to time during the last month was honestly the only thing that stopped her from going insane (Even if her best friend had been kind of 'weird' during the calls).

Seriously, how could she have ever imagined that an 'unexpected return' would affect her that much? She had gone from being the sub-commander of the most important and powerful military force (Guild) trying to get everyone back home to a teenager with an almost-useless body from a moment to the next! There was no way she wouldn't be frustrated by all of it!

Not to mention the fact that, when she least expected it and she was feeling the most annoyed/depressed, she found herself missing the occasional company of a certain idiot in black…

"…empty? All of it? There is nothing there?"

"Yes, it's weird as hell. I mean, maybe you don't know much about it, father, but the fact that the main goal, which the entirety of the game's lore revolves around, doesn't exist is kind of a big deal, and if it gets out it may affect the company negatively."

"I just don't get it…why would Noboyuki-kun do something like that? To save us money, maybe?"

"So, lying and tricking thousands of people into thinking they could obtain a special reward inside Alfheim's 'World Tree' when in truth the supposed last dungeon doesn't even exist is "saving money"? I know you're not much into games, father, but this is kind of a big deal that saving some money can't justify, especially if someone investigates after all the time ALO has been closed down and because of Sugou-san's death. After the sudden 'miracle' of SAO we can't allow something like a big 'scam' to happen in our company on the VR-Front…"

"Oh, Gods, just what we needed. What do you suggest we…?"

"Father? Kouichirou-niisama?" suddenly came the girl's voice through the curtains, making both men freeze as she opened a bit of them with some difficulty and stared at them. "What were you two talking about? What about VR and a problem for the company? What did Sugou do before dying?"

"A-Asuna…you were awake?" nervously asked her older brother while looking away.

"It's nothing, dear, just a small problem we're trying to deal with about a game the company's division under Noboyuki-kun used to run and that is temporary closed down." tried to explain Yuuki Shouzou, the sibling's father. "Nothing you have to worry abo…"

"Can I help with that?" Asuna's sudden question clearly caught both men off guard, for they stared at the chestnut-haired girl with utter surprise. "What? I mean, it sounds like a big deal, and you can't exactly find anyone with more awareness about VR than a SAO Survivor, right?"

"Bu-but Asuna, this is kind of something really serious and boring and…"

"Please, Onii-sama, don't talk to me as if I'm a little girl." coldly cut the chestnut-haired girl, making her older brother almost reel back at her sudden change in tone, a serious and almost commanding echo in her voice. "I have stared death in the face more times than I can remember while inside Aincrad, and I have led many people to fight against it just that many times and more. Do not think I'm the same person from before."

Certainly, both Yuuki males had noticed the quite drastic changes that Asuna's personality underwent when she wasn't 'relaxed', so to speak, meaning that it happened a lot since she was freed from SAO. Despite this, both father and son could still see the familiar girl from before when she calmed down to talk, perhaps even kinder and more active than before she was trapped in that Death Game, and especially when her mother wasn't around.

Because of this, and despite Kouichirou being unsure if it was a good idea, Shouzou decided to tell the ex-rapier user what she wanted to know, if only for her to stop her 'serious sub-commander' mode.

And as she was told about a world of magic and fairies that could fly through the sky, the main goal of which apparently had never been actually made, Asuna couldn't help but think she had found what she needed to keep her mind occupied and relaxed…

* * *

Returning to the servers of the digital magazine where she and her strange family hid after several hours searching over the SAO Survivors, the AI known as Yui couldn't help but shake her head and stifle a small yawn. Of course, while she couldn't really 'get tired', as a being that was compressed of data, the small girl had found that, the most 'human' she and the other MHCPs they became, the most human-like impulses they had the spontaneous need to simulate. Like sleeping or engaging in conversations for no reason.

Even more, despite not really having felt thirsty or hungry, Yui had found herself wondering about how food and drink would actually taste more than once. If she wasn't so determined to find the guy that had stolen her father's powers, knowing it was something of utmost importance, she would have probably been worried about that.

But, as stated, she had more pressing matters to worry about, taking care of her sisters among them, so it was with a smile that the older of the Mental Health Care Programs floated into their impromptu home, getting glomped by most of her little sisters as soon as she did.

Of course, when she saw that someone besides Strea and Haru (Who was still trying to act all 'older sister' with the rest by imitating the oldest-looking of them, the cute thing) hadn't joined the group-hug, she looked around in confusion, as if searching for what she thought was missing.

"Where is Tomoe?" questioned the confused Yui while the rest of her little sisters started to give her room to breathe.

"Oh, she's with daddy!" excitedly revealed the oldest-looking of the group while jumping up and down, her red eyes filled with emotion. "You won't believe it, Yui-nee, but Tomoe-chan actually managed to convince the geezer to do something besides watching anime all day!"

"Really?" asked the surprised AI with wide eyes, wondering what the small MHCP-006 could have done to get their depressed 'father' out of his funk. "What is it?"

"She's writing his memories!" helpfully added Ivy with a big smile, still carrying the sleepy-looking Eve on her back for…some reason. "And some of them some pretty cool!"

"Yeah! You should go and see them, Yui-nee!" urged Strea while pushing her older sister forward. "He still mostly ignores the rest of us, but maybe you will be allowed to have a peek and tell us how it goes!"

Shaking her head with another smile at her hyperactive sister's antics, Yui moved through the virtual space they called 'home' and headed to the deepest part, where the spherical data-form of their 'Father' usually rested watching anime in a holo-screen.

This time, however, she found him just as he finished talking with the small form of Tomoe, the one of her little sisters that liked to hang around her the most, even as she finished typing something on a screen of her own, filled to the brink with text.

 **-…and such is the way in which Everything exists.-**

"…and done! Thanks, daddy!" happily finished the MHCP-006 while smiling to the Great One, who seemed noticeably less depressed than before. "I'm sure your knowledge about how the Omnibus…Omnivass…uhm, about how all things work will be something everyone loves!"

 **-It's Omniverse, Tomoe.-** sighed the Great Conqueror while shaking his nonexistent head, but still seeming to have the hint of contentness in his voice. **-And I seriously doubt that, but I still liked talking with you about it. It has been a…'refreshing' experience. I can't remember having anyone want to record my knowledge in, well, ever…-**

Of course, that may had something to do with the fact that he believed no inferior being deserved to know any of his great knowledge about the workings of Reality and Beyond, but eh, who cares at this point?

"That sounds like a shame, it seems you have some pretty interesting stories to tell, Papa."

"Onee-sama!" happily shouted Tomoe while standing up, flying with open arms towards the MHCP-001 and trapping her in a happy hug.

 **-Oh, it's good to see you, Yui…did things go well?-** questioned the cosmic being with a small bit of interest.

"Well…I already have looked over 2347 SAO Survivors, but there is still no hint of any 'girly-looking boy with black hair' and that seems totally recovered despite the lack of time…" sighed Yui with a slightly depressed look. "And I also have to make time and gather small bits of data for the rest to keep developing their mental capabilities and personalities, so…"

"Do-don't worry, Yui-neesama, I will help you!" bravely declared the younger AI at her side while hitting her own chest. "With the Omivaverse-knowledge that daddy has taught me, I will help the other learn new things by themselves!"

"…heh, yeah, that would be very helpful, Tomoe-chan." smiled the black-haired girl while rubbing her little sister's hair, making her giggle. "I'm sure you will be able to do a great job with that…why don't you go and show the others what you recorded from Papa?"

"Yes, I will! Thanks, Yui-neesama, I will make you proud!" cheered Tomoe while floating away towards her other sisters, eager to show them what she had written.

 **-…she's a good kid.-** idly commented the Great One, even to his own surprise. **-And she has a lot of spirit.-**

"She has, uh?" muttered Yui with a soft smile, still looking in the direction of her little sister. "…so, how many hours was she begging you before you accepted telling her something?"

 **-Four. I got to hand it to her, the girl is pretty insistent for a program whose original purpose was supposed to be human understanding.-** sighed the Eternal Conqueror while turning his nonexistent eyes towards the oldest of the AIs. **-And Yui, while I appreciate what you're doing, I think that maybe you should consider stopping. It's clear that your 'sisters' need you with them more than what little you are because of you searching for that dammed boy…-**

"But I can't do that, Papa! We promised to help you recover your powers, and we can't do that while that thief still has them!" protested the black-haired girl with a pout. "Besides, what if he does something bad or stupid with your powers and puts the world at risk or something?!"

 **-Well, to be honest, I'm in fact surprised that this planet is still in one piece and we aren't all dead or something.-** revealed the cosmic being with a sheepish tone, making his 'daughter' freeze and look at him with panic.

"Wha-what do you mean, Papa?! Why would that happen?!"

 **-Well, it has been almost, what do humans call it, a month, right? In that time and with no idea of how to actually wield my powers, even if he has found a way to actually start to understand them, I'm surprised that the boy hasn't accidentally let too much of it loose and caused a catastrophe of ungodly proportions or dragged the attention of this world's authorities on his head.-** confessed the Great One with a metaphorical shrug. **-I mean, unless he found a way of actually reducing the quantity of power that comes from my Aether Core, but all the ways I can imagine of doing THAT would be pretty stupid and have potentially world-breaking consequences…-**

Meanwhile, on the middle of her morning classes, Kirigaya Suguha idly passed a hand over her chest and scratched over her uniform, the small 12-pointed star-shaped 'scar' she had under it shining blue-white for a second.

"Tha-that's terrible!" was Yui's answer to the revelation back in the virtual space of the computer magazine's servers. "If that's the case, then finding that boy and getting your powers back is even bigger aneed than I originally thought! We need to do it, and fast!"

 **-Yeah, well, it's not as if we can rush things out. That boy is a human and we virtual beings, remember?-** answered the Eternal Conqueror with yet another sigh. **-It's not like we can, you know, fish him with bait or something…-**

"…wait a minute." blinked the MHCP-001, quickly turning around and opening some screens from the magazine's servers. "…maybe…"

 **-Uh? What are you looking at?-** questioned the cosmic being as he stared over the AI's shoulder, seeing how she was reading a small article that talks about the famous VRMMORPG Alfheim Online, and how it the servers had closed temporary so as to mourn for the unexpected death of the man that was in charge of it. **-Oh…Sword Art Online was also one of those VRMMO-things, right…?-**

"YES! That's it, that's what we needed!" suddenly shouted Yui with bright eyes, almost making her 'Father' jump from the surprise as she turned to look at him. "We can use 'bait' to lure that boy out, Papa! We just need to think like him!"

 **-…I'm afraid I don't follow your line of thinking, Yui.-**

"It's easy! See this?!" quickly spoke the virtual girl while pointing at the part of the article talking about how few and small other VR-spaces where because of how high the price of the Cardinal System's patent was, currently belonging to RECT Progress, the division of RECT Inc. that was in charge of FullDive tech. "We're going to solve this 'problem' for the general public, and in doing so we will lure that boy!"

 **-…how exactly?-** questioned the Great One, almost afraid to ask.

"We're going to make our own VRMMORPG." stated the MHCP with a determined look. "And at the same time, we're going to release our own and totally free tool for VR-creation for everyone who wants and can download it!"

 **-…okay, even if we omit the part where I don't understand HOW is that going to help us catch the boy, how exactly are we going to do that?-**

"…geez, Papa, you're kind of an airhead, you know? Right now, you ARE the original Cardinal System. You have essentially all the tools to control and create a virtual world stored inside your code." reminded Yui while pointing towards the floating data sphere, who would have blinked in surprise if he had eyes. "And here you have all of us, which were originally supposed to function as support for the mental care of Players inside SAO, and I just so happen to understand almost 100% of how the human mind works. You have the tools, us and the knowledge to make everything happen! Together, there is no way this plan can go wrong!"

And to be honest, even if he didn't exactly understood yet what Yui's 'plan' exactly was about, the Eternal Conqueror felt that it may not be such a bad idea, at least from his small understanding of that world.

Besides, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

The sun was starting to set, visible through the window, when the chestnut-haired girl leaned back on her bed, a content smile on her face.

Certainly, Asuna could say that the last hours had been very practical and relaxing for her.

After her father and brother, who had just gone home for the day, finished explaining to her what the problem with 'ALO' was, she felt all fired up for offering ideas to help solve the issue.

While she was as lost as the two men as to why Sugou could have wanted to make such a thing as trick the entire gaming community with Alfheim's 'Grand Quest' other than to save money (Even if she felt a strange shiver every time she thought about it), she had certainly agreed in that it was something horrible and totally disrespectful for the Players, some of which probably considered the fairy land as another reality for them to enjoy.

And after seeing some images Kouichirou had shown her of the game's world and a bit of info about it, she had found what probably would be an interesting idea and a good solution.

It was just luck that, despite most of the data from SAO itself having been lost when the Servers exploded, a good chunk of it had been able to be recovered, like Data Accounts and Aincrad's main outlining. She was sure that, wherever he was, commander Heathcliff would have felt proud of her.

At that moment, on a certain cabin in the middle of nowhere, Kayaba Akihiko sneezed as he had managed to crawl until a nearby wall, where one of the only remaining intact computers stood. Looking around in fear, the half-bound man quickly turned on the screen, wrote the password…and felt his heart sink into despair when a screen of 'Incorrect Password' greeted him, at the same time that he felt an ominous presence smiling behind him.

"Aww, I'm so sorry, Aki-kun, I changed all the passwords in the computers. But don't worry, go ahead, I will let you use it if you can guess what it is. Hint: It's my birthday! You know, the date you forgot about for _4 consecutive years_ back in college…"

"…Rinko…please…let me go…" pathetically begged the creator of SAO.

"Oh…I'm sorry, that's not the correct answer."

Once again, no one was able to hear the screams of virtual reality's father.

Back on the hospital, Asuna nodded to herself once again, sure of her previous statement. Now, it was only a matter of time to see if her 'idea' (Which had apparently impressed her brother and intrigued her father), would be approved by the division of the company in charge of ALO and…

"…uhm, Asuna?" came a sudden, absolutely unexpected and familiar voice from the room's door, getting the ex-sub-commander out of her idle thoughts and making her freeze in place. "Ca-can I come in?"

"Ki-Ki-Kirito-kun?!" half-shouted the shocked girl as she stared towards the awkward-looking teen, who was standing in the door with a small box on one hand and his phone on the other. "I-is…is that really you…?"

"Ah, yeah…I-I'm not bothering you, am I? I mean, I don't know if only your family can come and see you or something like that, but…"

Trying to think how to finish that sentence, Kazuto honestly felt a bit like an idiot. He didn't even know WHY he had chosen to visit the chestnut-haired girl first.

Yeah, maybe her hospital was the closest one (As everyone didn't have the luck of being in the same one), and he had decided after knowing he would be unable to visit everyone in a single day…unless he tried using that teleporting trick again, but he wasn't eager to end up in the artic or opening a wormhole permanently between a door in his house and the hospital, so he had decided to grab his old bicycle and rush there after hours of indecision.

Now that he was standing in front of her, however, the gamer wasn't sure of what exactly he would talk about with his 'friend'. While she had certainly been worried about him because of the 'incident' that happened the day SAO ended, he still knew that he had gotten on the girl's nerves way too many times as Kirito, so he was unsure if he would even be welcome in…

"N-no, there is no problem. Co-come in…" muttered the ex-rapier-user in a small daze, surprising the black-haired boy even as he nervously walked at her bed's side. "…so, here we are, in the real world…kind of weird, uh?"

"Yeah…kind of." lamely answered Kazuto after a short silence, before thrusting the small box towards the surprised Asuna. "I, uhm, bought this for you. It's a, you know, 'Get well soon'-gift. I figured you and the rest would like to have something like this…"

"Tha-thanks…" whispered the surprised chestnut-haired girl as she grabbed the box, which she later noticed it had chocolate inside. Nothing fancy, just those one could buy in any simple shop or supermarket out in the city…but she still felt her cheeks heating up after grabbing it. "Heh, I think I will eat them slowly, that way I will have something to look forward to after my physical recovery sessions…" as she said those words, the one who had been sub-commander of the Knights of Blood stared in confusion towards the gamer. "Wait…how come you're up and about? I mean, you look kind of bad, but to be able to freely walk after just a month…"

"Ah, we-well, you know me…I'm very tough and all of that…" tried to joke the boy by attempting to revert to his Kirito-persona, failing utterly as he had forgotten other people were apparently unable to see the perfectly healthy state of his body and that it was just thanks to his strange powers that he was up and about when every other SAO Survivor was most likely still recovering. "To be honest…even the doctors were surprised by how fast I recovered. I guess I'm just…lucky?"

"…leave it to Mr. Black Swordsman to do something outrageous, uh?" softly smiled Asuna while shaking her head, wondering why she was feeling so at ease just by talking with him…and realizing how much she had actually missed it. "…oh! I almost forgot!"

"Uhm, forgot what exac…?" Kazuto's words were interrupted when the smiling chestnut-haired girl extended her delicate hand towards him.

"We haven't introduced each other in 'this world' yet, right? Hi, I'm Yuuki Asuna."

There was a long-seeming second of silence before the gamer smiled and reached forward, clasping her hand with his.

"I'm Kirigaya Kazuto….and of course you would use your real name inside the game." joked him at remembering how ignorant about everything she was at the beginning.

"He-hey, that's not my fault! SAO was my first videogame, remember?!" sputtered the ex-member of the KoB while her cheeks burned crimson, still not letting go of his hand as she make a standing-up motion. "And I will let you know that…WUAH!"

"Asuna!"

The aforementioned girl had just enough time to realize that, so caught with her conversation with the black-haired boy she felt as if she still was in Aincrad, berating him in a random meeting, she had forgotten that her body was still recovering and she couldn't just stand up for herself. That's how Asuna found herself falling forward…before a set of strong arms wrapped themselves around her frail body, stopping and carefully holding her.

"Tha-thanks for that, Kirito-ku…" as she raised her head, the chestnut-haired girl found the words dying on her throat as she saw Kazuto's face inches away from hers, worry filling his eyes before he looked relieved at seeing her unharmed. "A…AH!"

The ex-sub-commander surprised shout was accompanied by her throwing herself backwards from the shock, dragging the surprised gamer with her as they both felt to the bed, their faces ending up almost touching as they felt their bodies freeze and their heartbeats accelerating.

Unnoticing by them, though, a small bolt of 'blue electricity' jumped out of the boy's hand out of reflex. The same one that Asuna hadn't let go of yet.

"I-I'm sorry!" shouted Kazuto while jumping back to his feet in an instant, trying to ignore his drumming heart, not wanting to hear the girl screaming or something at him like in the past, especially when he had been trying to improve his relationships with everyone. "I, uhm, I will come see you again sometime a-and I will tell Liz you said hi when I go see her! Bye!"

With that, the gamer executed his naturally maxed out 'Run like hell'-Skill, Elucidator's transformed state chuckling slightly on his hand at his boss's face.

Back on the room, though, the chestnut-haired girl was trying to calm down her own pounding heart, hands over her chest as she bit her lips and her face burned crimson even more fiercely than before.

"…Kirito-kun…you idiot…" whispered her as she leaned to the side of the bed. "You aren't supposed to…make me like you even more…"

Idly, Asuna scratched the back of her right hand.

There, so small it was difficult to see it, a small 'scar' in the shape of a 12-pointed star shined blue-white for a brief instant…

* * *

As he finally entered his home, Kazuto released a sigh of relief that he didn't know he had been holding back, even as he felt the small mechanical being shift on his pocket and peek out of it before 'climbing' up to his shoulder. How did he do it with those weirdly-shaped 'fingers' he had was something he was still trying to figure out.

"Well, that was certainly fun, eh boss?" commented the phone-bot while scratching his camera-head (?). "That girl is quite an interesting person, uh?"

"Yeah, she certainly is…" muttered the gamer as he walked to the kitchen and grabbed an apple, eating a bite out of it as he remembered the many times he had talked with the ex-sub-commander and the many others he had fought at her side. "You don't even know half of it…"

"…oh, boss, look, there is a note in the table!" pointed Elucidator with excitement, making the black-haired boy blink and stare at said note. "I think it's from your sister!"

Gulping at hearing those words, Kazuto grabbed the small note and read what it said with a mix of fear and worry.

 _'I'm waiting in my room. We need to talk. Come.'_

"…great." sighed the gamer with an "oh shit" expression, putting the half-eaten apple on the table and heading upstairs, where he stopped before his adoptive sister's bedroom. "Uhm, Sugu? Are you there? If you are and you're mad, I just want you to know that I wasn't lying when I said it was just an accident this mor…"

"Enter, Onii-chan." came Suguha's voice from inside the room in an even tone, which made the black-haired boy bit his lips before entering, finding the young kendoka sitting on her bed on her usual clothes and barefoot, her massive cat-plushie-pillow hugged on her arms. "…I see. I wasn't hallucinating, then."

"…eh?" asked the confused Kazuto while walking closer to the girl, clearly confused. "What…what do you mean?"

"Well, when you told me yesterday about how you were actually okay since you woke up but we just couldn't see it I couldn't totally understand it, but now…I can see it, Onii-chan." softly spoke Suguha as she looked him fixedly, a blush starting to spread through her cheeks. "…you know, it's not fair that I'm the one who practices kendo to exhaustion and yet you get a perfectly fit body without any effort…"

"C'mon, Sugu, don't be like that…" whined the gamer while sitting at her side, almost making the young kendoka jump from the surprise as he stared at his hands. "I didn't exactly ask for this, though I won't deny it's better than having to go through physical rehabilitation…but if it means anything I think all that sport has given you a lovely figure."

"Tha-tha-thanks fo-for the co-compliment…" stammered the girl while trying to fight away her blush by not looking at him and hugging her plushie-pillow tighter, a part of her wondering if he was saying that because had gotten to 'see her figure' way closer than she should have been confortable with him doing so. "S-so, where have you been? I-I got kind of worried when I got home and found a note saying you were out but not when you would return, you know? And you weren't answering your phone…"

"Ah, sorry, that's my bad, boss' sister." apologized the small phone-bot on the black-haired boy's shoulder, making both siblings look at him. "I was kind of adjusting some things on my systems and navigating the internet to get some info about the world, so I just ignored all incoming calls and put my speakers on 'Silent Mode'…"

"…well, there you have that answer. Please, never do that again without telling me, Elucidator." deadpanned Kazuto while resisting the urge to facepalm. "As for where I was, I decided to go and visit one of my friends in the hospital to see how they were, as I have only talked with them through the phone from time to time the last month…"

"Tha-that's great, Onii-chan! I'm happy you're maintaining contact with the friends you made…there." finished Suguha while finally looking at him, a shy smile on her face. "Did everything go well?"

"Uhm…" feeling his face heating up at the memory of what happened with Asuna, the gamer quickly shook his head and returned his adoptive sister's smile with one of his own, laughing sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "A-as good as it can be expected from someone like me, I guess…"

"I see…" continued the young kendoka while staring at him, before her eyes finally settled over the small figure on his shoulder, who was staring around her room. "…by the way, Onii-chan, you never quite properly explained about what happened with…your phone."

"My name is Elucidator!" reminded said mechanical being while raising his small arms, showing a happy face on his screen-chest. "Boss gave it to me!"

"It just…happened, as I told you." tried to explain the black-haired boy while putting a hand over the girl's plushie-pillow, which she noticed was dangerously close to her, making her blush intensify.

"Just happened? Really?" pouted Suguha while looking straight at him, all the while 'subtly' moving her hand towards his until their fingers started to touch. "How do you accidentally give life to your Iphone?"

"I don't know! I mean, I was just thinking about how practical it would be if it could talk after what happened to you this morning, just like that, and suddenly…"

Kazuto's words were interrupted when a familiar pulse shot through his hand and a spark of golden electricity shot through it and into the plushie-pillow on his adoptive sister's arms, making her squeak and release it as the object rolled through the bed…and stopped just at the edge of it.

Almost as if hypnotized, the siblings stared as the big cat-thing 'wiggled' over itself and grew four stubby LEGS from its lower 'body', as if the cotton-like stuff it had inside had moved around and forced the plush and other materials to adopt a new form by moving its own mass around.

Slowly, it tilted its body around, for its head was as still literally a part of its 'torso' and it lacked a proper neck, before it turned around and stared at them with its big beady black eyes…which somehow blinked as the smile it had literally stitched on widened before it spoke with a childish female voice.

"Sugu-chan!" purred the plushie-cat-pillow as it rushed at the young kendoka's side and started to rub itself against her. "Look, look, I can move and talk, Sugu-chan! Now I can answer and make sure you never feel alone!"

"…yeah…like that." muttered a pale gamer as he stared at his latest violation of the laws of nature, swearing to himself that he was going to spent the next week foregoing sleep if needed to finish reading that goddamned manual. "Su-Sugu, hear, I'm really sorry, I didn't…!...Sugu?"

The black-haired boy's last words came as a confused question, because he was seeing how his adoptive sister seemed to have frozen on the spot and was staring at the living cat-thing with wide eyes…which were filling with tears as her face broke into a disbelieving smile…?

"Fuu-chan!" suddenly shouted Suguha while hugging the smiling plushie-pillow with all the repressed emotions of a little girl who had only been able to accept her love of 'cute things' in the confines of her own room since she was 5 years old, always putting on the mask of the no-nonsense kendoka out of there, happy tears streaming down her eyes. "Oh Fuu-chan, I'm sorry for not talking to you in so many years! Will you forgive me?"

"Of course, Sugu-chan! We're best friends forever, remember?"

"Fuu-chan!" sobbed the young kendoka while continuing to hug the life of her animated plushie-friend. "I will never ever leave you alone again!"

"…snif…isn't this such a beautiful thing, boss?" asked Elucidator with an emotive voice, the red led at his head's side once again letting anyone know he was recording it.

Kazuto, for his part, was just STARING at the scene with a lot of mixed emotions. In the end, though, he decided it would be for the best to slowly stand up and walk out of the room backwards, his eyes never leaving the extremely cute and somehow heart-touching scene of the girl hugging 'Fuu-chan'.

While trying to banish all thoughts of how utterly adorable Suguha had just looked on his eyes at that moment, for his own good, he decided that he should seriously get into reading that fucking manual.

The last thing he needed was end up making something like his computer or bicycle coming to life too…

* * *

 **Lesson 2** : _Don't try and defy whoever decided some things should be alive and others not. You're not that smart._

* * *

 **Next :** _The Dangers of having both Friends and Divine Powers._

* * *

 **Omake: The Great One's Chronicles**

 _Hello everyone! This is the Mental Health Care Program Number 006, better known as Tomoe! I want to help Papa to stop being so depressed, so I convinced him to let me write about himself and the many things he knows about. I'm sure this knowledge will one day be very important, so here I will start recording all of it! First, let's start about the different way in which the 'Omniverse' divides itself, and 'Those who Rule Over It'!_

The Planes of the Omniverse:

 _From the Memories of the Last of the Ancient Rulers…_

The Omniverse is the total recollection of All that Is around us. It's the collection of the Infinite number of Multiverses that form our Reality. A Multiverse is, at the same time, an Infinite recollection of Universes. While travelling within a Multiverse and all its Universes is quite easy with the right powers, travel between Multiverses is something not only difficult, but outright suicidal most of the time. Very few beings have the power to do this, and even they risk a lot in doing so. To understand this better, though, one needs to know the different 'Planes' in which the Omniverse divides itself, and those 'Superior Existences' that rule over them.

 **Reality:** All that 'exists within the normal plane that we can perceive'. All the Universes and Multiverses that form the Omniverse belong in here. Everything exists within Reality at all points, and its preservation is what allows the Omniverse to exist in perfect harmony. The youngest of the 'Absolute Ones', [DESTINY], exists within Reality. Just at its border, [LIFE] lets her influence reach Everything that exists too.

 **Unreality:** All that 'is not'. Existing just under Reality, it's the Plane where Nothing exists. All whose existence 'Ends' belongs to this place and nothing that belongs to 'Reality' can exist in this Plane. [DEATH] calls this place her domain.

 **The Great Void:** The Non-Plane. Also known as the 'Absolute Division', existing beyond both Reality and Unreality. Is the 'wall' that divides one Multiverse from another, and the very 'material' that forms it would utterly annihilate anything that tried to cross it. Even beings with power to affect the very cosmos like myself would find it almost impossible to trespass. The Eternal Twins, [TIME] and [SPACE] are the only things that 'exist' within this Plane.

 **Outside All That Is:** Also known as 'The Throne above Everything'. This Plane Is Not. It can't even be called a place to begin with, for it's what 'exists' outside the very Omniverse, overlooking it All. **Nothing** can exist in this Plane, no matter from where in the infinite Omniverse it comes from or how powerful it is. Theoretically, if a being like myself, with enough power to affect several universes when I'm at my best, used all of their power, it would be able to maintain its form about a second before their very existence was Rejected and it was reduced to absolute nothingness, even their very memory being Erased from the Omniverse. [FATE], the Ultimate One that Rules, is the only existence that inhabits this Plane.

The Absolute Ones of the Omniverse:

I have lived for a long time, longer than any other being currently alive in my Universe. In doing so, besides extending my power, I have studied the Universe and Beyond, until becoming the being on this Plane that knows the most about the Omniverse, at least on this side of my Multiverse. In doing so, I discovered THEIR existence. The 6 'beings'…no, not beings, 'Existences' that Rule over all the Planes of the Omniverse. It's impossible to classify them as anything but 'Absolute Ones', for no power can directly defy them, as they have been here since the Beginning of All. In here I put my knowledge, little as it is, about them and what their roles are…

 **[DESTINY]:** The youngest of the Absolute Ones, and the only one that exists within Reality. His purpose itself is unclear to me, but I know that from Him is from where the concept of [Destiny] comes. All living beings within the Omniverse have a Destiny, from the smallest unicellular ones to the greatest beings like myself. Strangely, though, this Absolute One seems to have developed a strange interest in us 'Inferior Beings', and apparently likes to adopt an anthropomorphic appearance to observe us. Even more contradictory, though, is that he seems to want to encourage small beings with unusual Destinies to break beyond them, essentially contradicting his own existence as _'The One who Gives Destiny'_. This apparently puts him in constant conflict with the oldest of his 'siblings'.

 **[LIFE]:** The next youngest after [DESTINY], 'She' exists within the edge between Reality and Unreality, and it's known as _'The One who Gives Life'_. All that is 'alive' in some way, from a Universe to simple and primitive life forms bound to planets and specific environments, can only exist because of Her and her Eternal Gift. Apparently, this is the most 'kind' of the Absolute Ones, as she freely loves everything that is alive within the Omniverse and doesn't mind that her Gift is abused or misused for anything or anyone, despite being the single greatest thing that allows for the Omniverse to be 'something'. Maybe this is the reason why creating Life is something that even minor and unimportant creatures can do without any real effort through reproduction, as slow as that is compared with being able to directly access her Gift, as I'm able to do so, despite not really finding much use for it. Why would I, when what is alive and what is not is already predetermined? Better not to mess with the balance, even if She does not mind…

 **[DEATH]:** The 'middle' of the 'siblings' and only inhabitant of the Plane known as Unreality, 'she' is _'The One who Ends Life'_. All living beings within the Multiverse must Die at some point, and I'm no exception. Even those who think themselves 'Immortal' or 'without the concept of death' are mere fools, for when their very Universes end it will be this Absolute One who has claimed them all. All the different 'Afterlives' that apparently exist within some Multiverses also only exist because of Her power. She exists within Unreality only because, when something 'vanishes' beyond the reach of an Afterlife or when something simply 'dies' within a Multiverse without an Afterlife, their existence goes there to become part of the Nothingness, and it is She who keeps this cycle stable. She also seems to deeply dislike her younger 'sister', for some reason.

 **[TIME]** and **[SPACE]:** Known as _'The Eternal Twins'_ and the second oldest of the 'siblings', whose mere existence is what keeps the Omniverse eternally balanced. They were the first ones to come into existence after their older 'brother' was put in charge of All that Is. In eternal silence and tireless work, they keep the Great Void dividing the Multiverses, at the same time allowing for the concepts of [Space] and [Time] to exist within each one. While many beings can manipulate the previous concepts to varying degrees, myself included, none can truly 'break' them over the control of these two Absolute Ones. If they ever wished so, both concepts would break and we would all stop being able to continue 'existing'.

 **[FATE]:** The Absolute Ruler. The One above All. The Eternal Existence. There are many ways to refer to the oldest of the Absolute Ones, but none that can make It justice. It has absolute power over the entire Omniverse. Nothing is 'Impossible' for It, and if It so wished so Everything could be reduced to nothingness and start again without any of us ever realizing…except that It NEVER acts on Its own. For some reason, [FATE] is the only one of the Absolute Ones that almost never does anything. It just…observes. From Its Throne above Everything, Its purpose seems to be to eternally watch over the Omniverse, keeping Reality safe and everything properly working. Apparently, It can't interfere with anything directly, despite having the power to easily do so, and this has made It to be continuously bored…which is very dangerous. I think I do not need to say why a being with Absolute Power being bored is dangerous, but [FATE] seems to have taken this to extreme measures. Always searching for something to keep Itself 'amused', the oldest of the Absolute Ones apparently loves to find 'loopholes' in whatever it is that limits Its direct interference, 'indirectly' affecting Reality one way or another if It thinks the results will make Its boredom go away even a bit. While I have no clear proof of this, I believe that this may have arrived to the point of sometimes bringing whole Universes to absolute ruin, but [FATE] will apparently not care as long as this doesn't damage Reality. I should be wary of It, as I don't think any of Its 'siblings' will ever find anything in which I annoy them. Given that even [DESTINY] is infinite times more powerful than myself, this is a terrifying thought.

 **[?]:** Unknown. The 'Superior Absolute Existence' is merely a theory of mine, as there is no way to prove it by any means that I can think of or understand. My theory, however, is based in this solid evidence: [FATE] is 'limited' by 'Rules'. Despite having Absolute Power over the Omniverse, It abides by some specific rules and limits and It NEVER breaks them, not even to stop his eternal boredom, always bothering to search for loopholes and such to do so. The only reason why the most powerful existence of All has to do this can only be that another, even more superior, Existence put them there for It. Maybe Its 'Creator'? If so, the theory that our Omniverse is not the only one may also be true. Still, there is much to be known, and I sadly don't think I will ever find the answers, though I'm satisfied with what I know…

 _There! That's all I recorded from daddy for today! It's kind of difficult to understand, uh? Anyway, next time I will write down even more things! Tomoe, out!_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, there goes another chapter! Man, this thing is easy and funny to write, perfect for you to relax, don't you agree :P?

Well, there you have it. Slowly but surely, the 'plot' (Or whatever this thing has that resembles that) starts to thicken and form, and I got to say it's interesting to develop the characters with the warped situation in which they are compared to canon, especially when you add cosmic craziness into the mix XD And as you may have 'noticed' after Asuna's scene and the words of the Great One, things are only going to get crazier as the story progresses…and we're just in the 'Introductory Arc' yet OwO

Also, bet many of you were surprised by the Omake, uh? Yeah, that's going to be a thing, with little Tomoe writing down some things about that their 'daddy' tells them about his knowledge, to help understanding better some crazy concepts and such that are going to appear at some point in this story (And if you read my other story, this also gives a few 'explanations' about some crazy things that happen there! Surprising, eh XP?). **B/N:** No, not really.

Well, that's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed it all and are ready for more later…whenever that is, as I'm once again moving my attention to One Punch-Gamer, which I again recommend everyone to go and read, for its nearing its end and I plan it to be awesome (Also, I will fully focus on this small madness when I am done with OPG :3).

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!

 **A not-so-sneaky message from the not-so-sneaky betareader of this chapter, One More Guy** : I really hope you enjoyed reading this story, just as much as I enjoyed fixing the small things here and there. I'm glad Saint-kun finally decided to let me get a "sneak peek" in exchange of betaing the story. Took me a lot of time, let me tell you...


	4. Chapter 3: Friends and Divine Powers

Welcome back, everyone! Here is Saint, officially announcing the end of the 'Hiatus' in which this story was while I finished my other fic :D! Greetings again to those only reading this one, and hi again to those who have come here from reading One Punch-Gamer :3 _(_ _ **B/N:**_ _What about those who are beta-reading? You meanie…)_

Well, not much to say now, except that I hope you're all having good times, and that I wish you all enjoy the chapter. Anything else will be said in the Author's Notes at the bottom XP

Have fun, everyone!

 **PD:** _This chapter is betaed by yours truly, One More Guy. *tips fedora* (Sorry for taking so long, things happened.)_

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

 _(_ _ **B/N:**_ _I'd almost forgotten…meow.)_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Dangers of having both Friends and Divine Powers**

 **November 8, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household, 7:30…**

Back then, on Aincrad, there had been some nights when the one known as Kirito, the Beater, the Black Swordsman, had truly felt the constant pang of loneliness eating at him away.

Most players saw him either as a weirdo or a cheater. Some thought he was 'cool' in a dark, mysterious way. Only his friends had ever seen his most 'normal' side, but even they hadn't seen him on Aincrad's darkest, long nights when he would forego sleep just to continue leveling up, to become stronger, his only drive being to survive and go back home, no greater or noble motive pushing him forward than that of a normal and a bit selfish human being…

The situation in which he found himself in right now, though, made it all worth it. That of peacefully eating breakfast with the beaming form of his little sister at his side, a bright smile (One empty of mischief, which in the past would have been bizarre to see on his face) adorning his features as he gazed at the happy girl.

…of course, the purring form of a cat-plushie-thing being petted on her lap and the small phone-bot sitting on his shoulder as he excitedly recorded the breakfast (For some unknown reason) weren't anything he would have ever imagined, but they didn't really affect him all that much.

It was either evidence that proved he had been driven crazy or that he had just been _that desperate_ for true comfort and affection from other human beings. The saddest part was that he wasn't sure which one was more pathetic.

Seeing the bright smile Sugu suddenly sent his way as she ate her strawberry jam-covered toast, however, was enough to make him not really care.

He was free, he was happy, his friends were okay and recovering and the strained bonds he had with Suguha were not only restored, but better than ever. What more could he ask for?

…well, maybe not had to deal with those unnerving Space God-powers, but eh, beggars couldn't be choosers.

For the sake of a happy and 'normal' life, he would put up with them.

After all, it couldn't be so difficult, right?

"Hmm…delicious." muttered Suguha with a happy look as she finished her toast, her eyes moving towards the small creature on her lap as she stood up and put it on the table. "Okay, I'm going, Onii-chan. Sorry Fuu-chan, I can't take you to school with me, but…"

"It's okay, Sugu-chan. I know school is very important for you, and your kendo club too." answered the living plushie with an understanding smile (Though it was difficult to tell, as it was smiling the whole time), even as she happily rubbed herself against her owner's hands. "Now go and have a good day. I will be waiting eagerly for your return!"

"…hehehe, thanks." warmly replied the young kendoka while giving the creature a quick peck on its head (Or at least the part of her body where her face was, as there was no neck to separate it from the rest), before turning to look at the black-haired boy and, to his utter shock, hug him tightly. "See you later, Onii-chan."

The gamer felt a peaceful feeling fill him as he returned the gesture.

"Have a good day, Sugu."

"Tha-thanks." muttered his adoptive sister as she turned around, a deep blush on her face as she grabbed her schoolbag and headed out.

She didn't know why she had done something that, not long ago, she would have considered extremely bold towards her adopted brother, but she couldn't deny how right it had felt, for some reason.

A bright smile wouldn't leave her face for the whole morning, even as she headed towards school and idly scratched the spot on her chest, over the school uniform. The 'scar' with the shape of a 12-pointed star shone softly at her happiness.

Kazuto, meanwhile, was still staring towards the kitchen's exit to the hallway, where Suguha's form had vanished, a distracted look on his face as he brought his cup of tea towards his lips, unaware of Elucidator now filming him.

"Sugu-chan looks really cute in her uniform, eh, Kazu-kun?" asked Fuu while tilting her head at him.

"Yeah, she does…" muttered the boy before blinking in shock and coughing as he stared at the small cat-thing. "Ehem, anyway, I had planned to go and see my hospitalized friends today, so…will you, uhm, be alright here all by yourself?"

"I'm not a baby, Kazu-kun, I will be fine." waved off his concerns Fuu did while jumping off the table, shaking her plushie-body while starting to walk away, like a perfectly normal cat. "I will just walk around the house and the garden while waiting for Sugu-chan to come back, don't worry."

"You heard her, boss! Let's go see more of your friends!" cheered Elucidator while raising his small arms in apparent excitement. "I may even get funnier recordings than I did yesterday!"

"Well, okay, I guess she…wait, when were you recording yesterday?!"

Even as both the cosmic-powered teen and the robot-phone walked out of the house…none noticed how the SMILE on Fuu-chan's face widened. Somehow.

"Okay then. Now, to make sure Sugu-chan is happy. First stop, Kazu-kun's room!"

As the plushie-cat-thing headed upstairs, the gamer wondered why he suddenly felt a shiver running down his back.

* * *

Despite having finally ended, the consequences of Sword Art Online were still felt through all of Japan, and even some other parts of the world.

Questions about what had happened, investigations about the 'Miracle' that freed the players, teams trying to find Kayaba Akihiko…way too many things that were still nowhere near close to being finished, even after more than a month since the death game had unexpectedly ended.

That 'the recovering Players had it rough' was one of the many small things that many people commented. Of course, this was nowhere near as close to the real thing, going through the process of recovery, as it depended on who you were or _how_ you were in the first place.

Some people like Andrew Gilbert Mills, once known as Agil in Aincrad, were enjoying it in relief, the man enjoying the presence of his wife besides him as he recovered. Others like Tsuboi Ryotaro, known back in SAO as Klein, had little more to enjoy than moral support, as they had been inside the Death Game with everyone they could call friends and didn't really had a too close relationship with their families.

Then, there were others like Ayano Keiko (In-game name 'Silica') who was lying on her bed and stared silently at the small book her father had brought her, that had all the support they could ask for, but still felt extremely 'sad', for one reason or another, more often than not related to something that had happened inside Aincrad.

Even now, for the umpteenth time that day, the young girl found her eyes wandering away from the small novel in her hands, to the side of the bed, almost being able to see a pair of curious red eyes and a body covered by bluish feathers looking happily at her.

Of course, when she blinked, the illusion was gone, nothing there except the white blankets of her hospital bed. She was all too aware of the tears that had started filling her eyes again, but she didn't try to fight them away this time, looking down as she closed the book she had been trying to read.

"Pina…I miss you, Pina…" cried the ex-beast tamer while choking back a sob.

This was going way too far, a part of her thought. Not only had her parents been worrying about her about something she couldn't explain (For who would understand how close her relationship with a 'virtual pet' had been without having experienced it?), but she was also no longer a child that should be crying over things like this.

She had become 14 years old the past month. She was officially a teenager, no longer a little girl! She had to be strong! After all, she was back home, with her family, and despite the pitiful state her body was in, she was still alive. She should be feeling immensely happy…but…

"…how sad…I guess I'm still a child, uh, Pina? After all, I can't stop crying without you being here…"

"…that's not true, Silica. Please, don't be sad."

"Eh?" muttered a confused Keiko while opening her eyes, staring towards the door of her hospital room, where a familiar boy was standing, looking at her with a mix of worry and happiness.

"Long time no see, uh?" commented Kazuto while scratching the back of his head. "Well, a bit over a month, I guess, since we celebrated your birthday, but…well, I missed you, and now I see that…uhm…Silica?"

"Ki-Ki-Ki-Kirito-san?!" shouted the young girl in shock, her face immediately flaring up like a traffic light as she ducked under her covers, shaking like a leaf and desperately trying to erase any mark of tears from her face. "N-no, don't look, please! Do-don't…don't come any closer…"

The last words had come out almost as a pathetic whimper, which only made Keiko feel even more ashamed of herself.

Of all the people in the world that had to see her in that state, weak and crying, her body still recovering from two years of coma, her hair down and a mess and calling the name of her vanished pet dragon, WHY in heaven's name had to be the boy she had a crush on?!

The young girl wasn't stupid, far from it. Perhaps she had always been a bit 'childish', but for someone who had been 12 when they got trapped in SAO, she had matured a lot in little more than a year inside the death game.

Her childishness hadn't totally vanished, of course, and she painfully learned that lesson the day her immature actions let to Pina's death, and almost her own.

It had also been the day she had met him, the boy that had changed her life, whose simple memory had helped her mature and wish to surpass herself, who had done what she thought impossible and brought her dragon friend back…

Keiko had never been in love before, but she didn't need to be a genius to know she had fallen for the Black Swordsman, better known as Kirito in Aincrad. The beating of her heart every time she saw him after their small adventure together in Floria and the way her cheeks would light up just by thinking about him spoke volumes about it.

It had also frustrated her to no end, to know she had almost no possibilities with him. Her own and almost neurotic shyness when close to him aside, there was also the fact that she looked like a 12 years when she met him, despite being already 13 at the time, and that wasn't going to change no matter how much time had passed inside the virtual world. To her great frustration, the few times they had met since then she had clearly understood how Kirito never saw her as anything more than a 'little sister' (As he had said she reminded him of his). Even so, she couldn't deny the happiness she felt when he took even a couple hours free of fighting in the Front Lines just to talk or spent some time with her. She had never stopped fantasizing how beautiful everything would be if he accepted her feelings and they could truly be together.

Then, the 'Miracle' had happened and she had found herself back in the real world, amidst the chaos of the Death Game's end, a worried family trying to squish the life out of her AND the fact that she hadn't even been able to say goodbye to her dear Pina before they were forced apart.

She wasn't sure if it had been that or the fact that she realized her body had barely changed (Being in a coma during the first years of the most important development phase of the human body can do that to you), most likely leaving her 'trapped looking like a little girl for most of her adolescence' (Her own adaptation of the doctor's words), what had left her in a state of constantly almost emotionally collapsing, which only had increased her family's worries even more.

When the boy in black called her some days ago, though, despite the embarrassing moment with her dad, she had felt as if things could really get better, the familiar warmth that filled her every time she heard his voice also present in the real world.

But now, he was THERE, in the room with her. She didn't know how or why, but all that mattered is that he had seen her like that, looking pathetic and childish, ugly and absolutely un…

All trains of thoughts died from within Ayano Keiko's mind when she felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her petite body, freezing her in place as she, almost robotically, peered from under the covers.

"Kirito…san…?"

"It's okay, Silica." soothed her the gamer with a caring smile, the sight of it making the young girl feel as if her heart would jump out of her chest. "It's okay. I'm happy to see you again, really, so please…don't be sad. Pina wouldn't want that."

There was no judgment in those eyes. No dislike or mockery, nothing which related to the fears that had filled her heart the moment she saw him looking at her sickly-looking and recovering self, nothing like the 'cute' dagger-user he had befriended.

There was just warmness, one unlike any other she had ever seen in him, and honest happiness, as if just seeing her again truly made him content.

Unable to contain herself, Keiko leaped forward and hugged him, releasing a few sobs on his chest as he buried her face in there, feeling an immense relief filling her as she cried and laughed at the same time.

Kazuto, for his part, even if unsure of the whys behind his friend's strong reaction, accepted it with a nod and continued hugging her. Perhaps the boy didn't know exactly why she was feeling like she was, besides obviously missing her dragon friend, but he would be dammed if he didn't try his best to comfort the girl after seeing that 'kicked-puppy' look on her face. He would felt as a monster worse than Kayaba if he dared to do that.

The gamer wasn't sure how long he was there, standing beside Keiko's bed, just hugging the young girl as she finally stopped sobbing and just rested her cheek against his chest, eyes closed and a content smile on her face, looking as if she had found an unreachable peace. He also felt strangely good, the position immensely soothing for his soul, the feeling of another human being _needing_ his company in such a way making him feel immensely happy. Of course, it was also immensely embarrassing, but as long as it was just with him and Silica then he had no problems with…

"What the hell are you doing with my daughter?!" exploded a thunderous voice from the room's door, making both SAO Survivor's eyes snap open and turn to look in that direction, one with confusion and panic and the other with horror, her face seeming unable to decide if to pale or blush harder.

Standing there with a livid look on his face, Ayano Tetsuhiko, Keiko's father, was gripping the doorframe while his eyebrows twitched, looking how an unknown teenage boy was HUGGING his precious baby daughter to his chest as if she belonged to him.

Finally realizing the position they were in, and Kazuto more than likely deducing the man's identity, both teens squeaked and let go of another, almost jumping away, panic, embarrassment and shock flooding their minds.

In the middle of that, no one realized how a flash of bluish and lighting-like energy shot from the boy's fingers just as they left the girl's waist, crashing into her lower back and vanishing inside her.

Given the circumstances, though, no one could really blame them for not noticing.

"Da-dad, wa-wait, it's not what you think!" desperately shouted a crimson-faced Keiko while waving her arms. _"And dammit, why couldn't you have waited a bit more?!"_

"Oh, REALLY? And what is it that I was NOT thinking?"

"He-hello, Mr. Ayano! I, uhm, w-we talked some days ago over the phone, heheh, I-I'm a friend of your daughter and…"

"Ah, yes, the boy from the phone…why don't you come here for us to have a little talk while Keiko rests…?"

"DAD! Stop looking at him with that scary smile! Kiri…uhm, Ka-Kazuto-san, I'm so-sorry for all of this!"

"N-no, I'm the one who should be saying that, having come here without warning and…!"

"Yeah, WHY exactly did you come to see my daughter for, hmmm?"

"DAD!"

Innocently lying against a nearby wall, having transformed when his boss wasn't looking, Elucidator happily recorded it all.

Without a doubt, there was not a moment without fun around his creator!

* * *

"Agh…man, this is so boring. I wish Asuna could have at least answered when I called, talking with her would help me not to go crazy from the immense boredom I feel in here…"

Such were the words that came from the mouth of one Shinozaki Rika, once known in SAO as Lisbeth the blacksmith, even as she tiredly rolled down a hospital's hallway on a wheelchair.

Technically, the girl shouldn't be out of her room and going around the building, even if she was using a wheelchair instead of crutches, and she knew very well that if either her doctor or her parents caught her she would be in for quite a tongue-lashing, but at that point she really didn't care.

She was truly going to lose her sanity if she stayed alone with her thoughts in that bed any longer.

The fact that, for some reason, Asuna wasn't answering her phone when she called earlier, to try and see if talking with her 'best friend' would help her stop the mess that was her mind, didn't help much either. And the problem was, in a way, indirectly related to the chestnut-haired (ex)sub-commander.

To the boy called Kirito, to be precise. Kirigaya Kazuto in real life.

If one had to define her first meeting with the Black Swordsman in any way, it would have been…'poor'. Him nonchalantly breaking her best work yet with little, if at all, care could only be called that, after all. She had thought he was an idiot and an overconfident player, and was she would never stand his attitude.

How ironic, that it had 'only' taken barely 24 hours, a snow-dragon, almost dying and getting trapped overnight in an icy cave, for her opinion of him to undergo a radical change. Against her best judgment, she had fallen head over heels for the boy after seeing the side of himself he apparently never showed in public, how caring he could be and how determined he was when it came to saving the life of someone in danger. She had never been in love before, but she was sure that what she felt for him was real, and after forging his new sword and becoming the first (And, as far as she knew, the only one) to know about his 'Secret Skill', had been willing to try and confess her feelings.

Then, as if life was mocking her, a worried-sick Asuna had arrived, shouting about how worried for her she had been when she was unable to contact her the last day (Mainly because that dragon's cave had been like a dungeon and blocked all messages). With the shock after exchanging some words slowly sinking in, she had realized that the same boy she had been teasing her friend about, the one she was sure the rapier-user had a crush on, was in fact the same boy, Kirito. And, even if the gamer himself didn't notice it, that he somehow also seemed to care for Asuna.

That he had found her after she had been trying to surpress her hurt feelings after doing the 'right thing', leaving the two alone without saying what she had really wanted to say, had been even more ironic. His words to her, though, hearing him saying how she had made him realize the true value of keeping himself alive and his promise about how they would get out of that world, had both warmed he heart and hurt her more. She had been very tempted to just damn it all to hell and jump into his arms right there.

But in the end, she had managed to calm down. The girl smiled at him and accepted the boy's friendship. That he had actually accepted her earlier proposal of being her 'personal blacksmith' had shocked Lisbeth to a degree, but it had also made her happy. Even if she was willing to let her best friend make him happy instead of doing so herself, she could at least still enjoy her company. And so, she had resigned and prepared for the inevitable moment when those two would get together. The blacksmith had given it a week or so, at most.

That had been almost five months ago. FIVE MONTHS. And then, some weeks ago, the 'miracle' had happened and, after having been screaming inside her shop after thinking the world was going to collapse over her head and she was going to die, Rika had found herself back home, in the real world, confused, tired and with a long and painful recovery ahead of her.

Luckily, most of the negative feelings and depression from that and also having lost her shop without even knowing what happened had quickly been overwhelmed by the happiness of seeing her family again and knowing that she, as well as every other player still alive at the time, had managed to return to the real world.

And of course, just when she was once again getting used to reality and to her harsh recovery sessions, Kirito had called her and asked how she was, as if there was nothing wrong and it was just two normal friends chatting with each other on a free day. She, for her part, had almost literally felt the weight of the world be lifted from her shoulders, hearing his voice again and knowing for sure that he was okay. The girl had been quick to hide this, of course, and even slightly berated the gamer for calling her before Asuna (Even if a part of her had internally squealed happily at this information). When the boy had accepted how he actually wasn't sure of how to talk with the rapier-user, and that he felt more comfortable talking with HER than with the KoB's second in command, the blacksmith had found herself thrown in to a loop of doubts and confused feelings, which had lasted since the call ended to that exact moment, one of the main reasons she had felt the NEED of getting out of her room.

It was clear as hell that Asuna had never gotten the courage to accept whatever confused feelings she had for Kirito, Kazuto now, and that the gamer had never really felt anything more for her except perhaps a passing crush, the rapier-user kinda random mood-swings probably having to do with that.

At that time, months ago, she had taken a decision, decided to be the 'good girl', the 'best friend' and do as a caring and good person, usually only found in shoujo manga, do and let her dear Asuna be the one to make him happy, as she technically 'saw him first'. Some people would have called her noble, while others an idiot.

Now, however…she was feeling lost. They were back home, and those two never got any closer, so…would it be seen as a 'betrayal' if she once again tried to push forward her feelings for him? Besides, there were just teenagers, and it wasn't as if neither of them were more than 'friends', complicated friends at that, so…

"Hey! Watch out!"

"Uh?" dumbly muttered Rika while blinking, finally returning from her mental recollections…and seeing the view of the stairs going down to the lower floor opening before her wheelchair like the gaping maw of some beast.

As she screamed in terror, trying in vain to stop the chair from throwing her into the 'abyss', she idly thought that it probably hadn't been a good idea to be thinking about overcomplicated emotional problems without stopping rolling through a hallway. Then, with resignation, the girl closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself for the pain, most likely several broken bones, and the worry that would fill her parents when they found out.

However, what she felt instead was something moving fast and harshly holding her body, just in time to stop her from falling forward; the sound of metal hitting against the steps echoing before a relieved sigh filled the air.

"Goddammit Liz, what the hell? I swear, what's with you and almost falling to your death?" came a familiar voice from besides the blacksmith, the attempt at joke tinged by a clear and obvious worry in his tone.

Eyes snapping open, Rika found herself being tightly held by the arm of Kirigaya Kazuto, his other limb holding her wheelchair and stopping it from falling down the stairs in what would have without a doubt been a loud and messy accident. The shock still hadn't left her body when he calmly walked up the steps and put the chair on the ground again, carefully putting her back on and squeezing her shoulders as he gave her a worried look.

"You okay?" apprehensively asked the gamer, finally making the girl snap out of her frozen state.

"Ki-Kirito?! Wha-what…what are you doing here?!"

"Well, saving your life again, apparently." half-chuckled the gamer while shaking his head, though the surprised blacksmith could still feel worry filling him as he once again looking at her. "Seriously, though, I just thought I would drop by, you know, to visit my good friend and dear blacksmith…but I didn't thought I would end up stopping from falling down the stairs. Honestly, what were you thinking?"

"I-I…uhm, I was just lost in thought, because…well, you know, all the stuff that had happened recently…" half-lied Rika while looking away from him, a blush filling her cheeks as Kazuto nodded in apparent comprehension. "I know it's still kind of my fault, but I didn't realize the stairs were there until you…hey, wha-what are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm taking you back to your room…as soon as you tell me where that is." quickly said the black-haired boy while pushing the embarrassed girl's wheelchair. "And you're not arguing me out of this one, Liz. Especially because, for some reason, you actually feel less intimidating without fluffy pink hair."

"Wha-what?!" squeaked the blacksmith while putting a hand over her brown locks, suddenly keenly aware of them and how she probably needed a haircut. "A-are you insulting me, you idiot?!"

"N-no, not really! I-I was just saying it's kind of weird because it makes you look even cuter than usual, so…"

"…wait, di-did you just call me cute?" muttered the shocked Rika while her eyes widened, even as the gamer stumbled and almost let go of her wheelchair. "No, scratch that, did you just accept you have thought I'm cute for quite some time?"

"Di-did I?" awkwardly muttered Kazuto before released a frustrated sigh, looking to the side with a small blush as he continued moving. "We-well…it's just the truth, I mean. Yo-you are cute, Liz."

"O-oh…thanks." softly spoke the girl while giving him a smile, before quickly looking down again.

"S-so…your room?"

Even as she guided the clearly flustered boy to the room where she was at, the blacksmith suddenly found herself very happy and relaxed, more than she had been in almost a month.

As she spent quite some time talking with him and asking how things had gone lately, him doing the same, the thought that giving up her feelings was a stupid idea started to take over her mind more and more.

In all that time, and even after she waved him goodbye, neither her nor the gamer noticed the idle scratches she would give to the back of her left hand.

There, shining innocently with an almost unperceivable blue-white light, the scar with the 12-pointed star-shape waited.

Just as the one in the lower back of a sleeping Ayano Keiko did in that moment, the girl tired from the discussion between her and her father for 'embarrassing' her, a smile on the young girl's lips as she didn't see the light brightening for a moment and touching her Nerve Gear, which lay abandoned on a table at the room's other side.

And of course, no one knew yet that the reason why Yuuki Asuna hadn't answered her best friend's call, and that had had her family worried all day, was that she was still reeling from shock after having woken up and finding her body back in perfect condition and healthier than ever. And that no one but herself could apparently see the change, which was freaking her out.

All of this courtesy of her own 'mark', sitting innocently on the back of her right hand, ignored, like the rest, but also fulfilling its unknown and unseen duty…

* * *

On the depths of a virtual magazine's Servers, world-changing events were set into motion, as a dark plan created by advanced and terrifyingly cunning minds was ready to be set in motion…

"Okay! Operation, _'Catch the Bad Boy who stole Papa's Powers'_ is a go!" happily announced Yui while pointing at a screen with said title floating just behind her, staring cheerfully at her whole gathered 'family' before her. "Any questions?"

 **-Against my better judgment, I do have one.-** spoke the Great One with just a hint of resignation, shaking his metaphorical head when his 'daughters' clapped at him for talking. **-How exactly is resurrecting the virtual videogame industry going to help us 'find' the boy in question, Yui?-**

"I'm glad you asked, Papa! And to be honest, is quite simple!" cheerfully explained the oldest of the MHCPs while turning around and pointing at another screen she just materialized. "See this? It's a diagram I made while investigating the SAO Survivors the past weeks! You see, from what I managed to gather, most of them are, as surprising as it sounds, not thinking about never again playing a Virtual Reality game! I don't know why exactly, if it's a direct result of so much time spent in SAO making them yearn and like the virtual world too much or if they're all just messed in the head, but it doesn't matter for us! What matters is that, if we manage to make our own VRMMORPG and make it awesome enough to attract a lot of attention, then there is a high chance that the boy we're searching for also gets in there!"

"Yay! You're a genius, Yui-nee!" cheered Strea while raising her arms, all the other AIs joining even as the Eternal Conqueror resisted the metaphorical urge to facepalm.

 **-Okay, leaving aside how little sense I find in that, given that YOU all are the human psychologist program and not me, it still leaves the problem of HOW are we going to do this.-** if he had eyes, the cosmic being would probably have been frowning in that moment. **-Even if we have the tools for it in this 'Base Code' of mine, we lack the physical means to do so. I have been making calculations since you mentioned it, playing around with these 'systems' I now have, and I know for sure that we can't mount an entire VR world on the back of a virtual magazine's servers, even less if we don't want anyone finding us.-**

"Heheh, it really shows how little you know about the human world, Papa. But do not despair, that's why we are here for!" boasted Yui while proudly puffing out her inexistent chest, receiving more clapping from her sisters as answer. "We're going to use one of mankind's darkest creations to trick them all: Marketing!"

 **-…I knew I shouldn't have asked.-** summarized the Great One while the rest of the MHCPs seemed awed at their sister 'greatness'.

"Oooh! And how will we do that, Yui-nee?!" happily questioned Strea with a curious look.

"Easy, my dearest little sis! Nowadays, almost everything is done through the internet, from buying things to signing important work contracts, so we will just get into contact with people willing to get a good deal! I have quite some ideas about who to contact, in fact. More than one of the Players of that Alfheim Online game has been complaining about the month-long hiatus of the Servers because of the death of RECT Progress' president, and many of them will be willing to 'experience something new' if we sell it carefully." pointed out the oldest AI while opening several screens around her. "Plus, we can make enough excuses to not 'meet face-to-face' and hide our status as virtual entities from them if we manage to show them that what we have is the real deal."

 **-That…that actually sounds like an excellently thought-out plan.-** admitted the Eternal Conqueror in shock, looking at his oldest 'daughter' with surprise. **-But, are you certain they will accept?-**

"As I said, it's all a question of marketing: If they like what we 'sell', they will 'buy' it. Of course, we won't want any real 'money', just to become the new Server's Main Admins. And as we all know, the most important part of a videogame…is its lore." smiling proudly, Yui turned to look towards one of her sisters, the one who was currently with a 'window' opened before her and taking notes. "And we have quite an interesting and awesome one in our hands already. Tomoe-chan?"

"Ha-hai, Yui-neesama?!" shouted the MHCP-006 while standing up.

"You're still recording Papa's 'memories', right?"

 **-…wait a minute…you don't say…?-**

The massive grin on her face was as good as a direct answer.

"Keep telling her more about your Universe while I and the others prepare everything, Papa. We're going to need it. The rest, here is what we got to do! Strea, you and Haru will be with me 'contacting' the people we need to convince. Ivy, you and Eve start helping Papa to understand how to program the Cardinal System's tools…and no slacking off, Eve, I know you're pretending! Yin, Yan…you take care of the others, okay? They still need a bit more of data before they can operate by themselves…"

"Yay! Let's do this!"

"We won't fail you, Yui-neesama!"

"I-I will get to recording right away!"

"Let's go, Papa, Eve! And don't try to slack off, you heard nee-sama!"

"…troublesome."

"We will be babysitters, yay!"

"This is going to be fuuun!"

Watching how his daughters quickly got to 'work', the cosmic being couldn't help but release an extremely rare chuckle, before helping with his part of the 'plan'.

Whatever came out of this, if it really could return him his powers or not…the Great One at least knew that he was having something he hadn't had in eons.

For the first time since he could remember, the Eternal Conqueror was having _fun_.

And he found himself liking it.

* * *

It was already nighttime when Kazuto finally got home, letting out a tired but content sigh as he closed his home's door behind himself.

Between going to see Keiko (The more than awkward moment with the girl's father had stretched quite a lot) and visiting/saving Rika (Whose hospital wasn't exactly close to the former's one and with which he had stayed quite some time talking about everything), it was a lot later than he thought, almost making him miss the last bus back to Kawagoe from the area.

He could have teleported back or something like that, yeah, but that would have gone against what he had promised both himself and Sugu, and also against his wish to have just a normal and happy life from then onwards.

Suddenly, his idle thoughts were interrupted by movement on his pocket, making him look down in time to see Elucidator's transformed form jumping down and 'stretch his legs'.

"Aaah…man, today was a fun day for sure, eh, boss?" commented the phone-bot while smiling at the boy (A smiley face literally appearing on his screen-chest). "And I even got to record a lot of interesting scenes!"

"Yeah, it sure was a good da…wait, where you recording again?! What exactly did you record?!"

"Oh, you know, this and that, nothing to worry about, boss!" calmly replied Elucidator while running down the hallway, the gamer hot on its tail as he tried to grab the mechanical being.

"Hey, wait a minute! Show me what you recor…!"

"Onii-chan, is that yo…? KYA!"

With a muffled sound, Kazuto crashed against something extremely soft, throwing both himself and the 'mysterious person' down on the ground…or it would have happened if his long-developed instincts hadn't kicked in and made the black-haired boy spin in the air while closing his arms around the squeaking girl, letting him land half-sitting and her 'safely' over him.

The gamer was lucky to have been granted a body that was just above all human standards by an alien God, though. Otherwise, if he had tried to use that move outside the virtual world, he would have ended up eating the ground with his face and probably injuring the person he was 'saving' more than they would have initially.

In this case, however, he got a very close look of Suguha's shocked face, which quickly reddened at how close they were even as he stared at the girl with worry.

"Cra-crap, sorry Sugu! I-I was distracted because of Elucidator a-and I wasn't looking where…!"

"I-it's okay, Onii-chan, I'm okay." cut him off the young kendoka while giving him a soft smile. "I'm just happy you're back home already."

"…yeah, sorry about that." apologized Kazuto while scratching the back of his head. "It took longer than I thought, visiting my friends …but I'm back already, Sugu."

A sudden silence befell the two Kirigaya as they just lay there, silently smiling and staring at the other in the dark hallway, their gazes seemingly lost on the eyes of…

"Picture!" shouted Elucidator while taking one, making the siblings blink and turn to look towards the small robot-phone. "Yes, another precious moment immortalized!"

"A-ah!" half-shouted Suguha while standing up, her face burning brightly, as if she had just realized she had been sitting on her adopted brother's lap, while half-hugging him, for almost a minute. "S-so, I left your di-dinner on the kitchen, go-good night!"

"Good…night." weakly answered the boy as he saw the form of his adoptive sister vanishing upstairs, doing his best to ignore his accelerated heartbeat or the reddening of his cheeks. "…Elucidator?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Delete all of that. Now." said the gamer with narrowed eyes and a deadly stare that could frighten even the mightiest of monsters.

"…okay, done."

"…oh, that was easy." blinked Kazuto in surprise while standing up, heading for the kitchen. "Guess I will just eat and go to sleep…I'm feeling way too tired, for some reason…"

"Who knows, boss…" innocently commented the small phone-bot…while uploading the videos and images to his newly created account in an Online Data Storage Server. "You have had quite the tiring day, after all…"

Twenty minutes later, the black-haired boy was on his bed, staring in silence at the ceiling and vainly trying to fall asleep.

For some reason, he just couldn't stop thinking about Suguha. Even more so, he could almost swear he could smell the girl's scent all round him, which only made him even more nervous as he tossed over his pillow and tried to force himself to rest.

Of course, there was no way for him to know that the young kendoka was having the exact same problems in that moment, though with the opposite result, sleeping like a baby with a smile on her face while wondering how her mind could imagine her adoptive brother's scent so perfectly.

In her arms, Fuu-chan's eternal smile turned disturbingly wider, before she snuggled against her owner and friend, satisfied.

None of them had noticed she changed their pillows. And the plushie-cat-thing was determined to continue her 'strategy' every week from then on…

But back to the present, the gamer released a groan and sat on his bed, staring blankly ahead before looking around, as if trying to find something to distract his mind.

His computer didn't offer any comfort, unlike in the past. Neither the sight of his destroyed Nerve Gear.

Finally, as if really running out of options, Kazuto summoned forth the small white dwarf star he had hidden away in his pocket dimension, letting his eyes fixed upon the impossible phenomenon of having a celestial body in his hands as he sat there in silence.

"…I think…I think I have been thinking too much about Sugu lately. And…and I don't dislike that. Is that a bad thing?"

"Are you asking me, boss?" questioned Elucidator while transforming, though a bit awkwardly given that he was connected to the phone's (His) recharging cable. "Or just trying to question yourself?"

The black-haired boy blinked, his mouth opening and closing at the strangely wise words coming from the living telephone.

Back in SAO, he had felt so alone so many times, for so long. Especially since what happened with Sachi and the Black Cats.

His friends had helped him feel better, true, but they hadn't been _always_ there for him. More often than not because of him, though, and the path he had chosen to survive and try to return home. He was not trying to fix that, of course, but it wasn't the same.

Since he got back, though, Suguha _had_ been there, with him and for him at all times. And he had done his best to accept and even happily welcome that. One of the gamer's deepest regrets since he got trapped in Aincrad was the horrible way in which he had treated his adoptive family since learning the truth, when they had never done anything but love him. Especially Sugu, since she herself had never 'lied' to him, and he was sure he had hurt her more than his uncles/parents. To be honest, Kazuto wasn't even sure if she knew already they weren't really siblings, but cousins, because a part of him was still scared the truth would make her push him away like he had done years before, and he had become too attached to her to support that. Especially with all the madness that came with the whole 'Space God accidentally gave me his powers'-thing.

But that was the 'problem', now that he realized. Was he becoming _too_ attached to the girl? Was he starting to think about her too much? Thinking back on all that had happened between them since he got back, on the way in which she had comforted him when he revealed the 'secret' of his powers, in how warm their interactions were…

The black-haired boy shuddered, feeling the warm feeling filling his heart at the thoughts, scared at the implications.

Was he…was he developing a crush for Sugu? Had he truly longed _so much_ for a constant and dependable companionship in SAO that he had started to think of his sister in that way?!

Yes, maybe they weren't really siblings, and in Japan one could technically date and even marry their cousin, but…but…what was the point of that train of thought again?!

Releasing an annoyed growl, the gamer slammed his head against a pillow, deeply inhaling the strangely Sugu-like scent it seemed to have (More proof for him really being unable to stop thinking about her) before closing his eyes.

Whatever he may or may not be feeling for the girl, who had become the closest person to his heart without him realizing, it wouldn't do him any good to dwell on that. The last thing he wanted was to drive Sugu away from him now, after all.

With those thoughts in mind, Kazuto finally concentrated enough to leave the physical world behind, feeling himself relaxing as he floated into the endless void of the universe-like place in which his soul had become.

"Yeah…this is just what I needed to relax and think clearly." softly whispered the black-haired boy while opening his eyes, searching for the form of the Aether Core with his gaze.

He blinked, then STARED again.

Not long ago, barely two days ago in fact, the thing had been the size of his planet, which had humbled him at the impossible scale of the powers he now possessed.

But now the fucking thing _dwarfed the sun_. As in, 'Jupiter compared to Earth'-dwarfing.

As disbelief, panic and wonder filled him at the sight of the titanic blue-white star of 12 points, he felt the information he sought for being 'downloaded' straight to his head, in an almost painful way, cold realization hitting him the next instant.

The Aether Core didn't grow gradually, as he had believed it did while restoring its Cosmic Power.

It grew _exponentially_. Literally, the more power it got, the more power it had to put into work gathering more power.

And, apparently, the thing was still nowhere near full. No even to a hundredth of what it could be.

Kirigaya Kazuto's mind couldn't even fathom **what** would need that much power, or for what purpose they would use it. Even less what **he** would do with it.

Terrifyingly humbling wasn't an expression the boy thought he would ever use, but it was becoming clear it was the only one that came to his mind in this situation.

This was the power to break and remake stars, to alter the very fabric of the cosmos, to Will civilizations to their knees with just a wave of the hand. It was meant for beings older than galaxies, which had learned the complicated and intricate art of using and handling such abilities however they wished through the eons.

It definitively wasn't mean to be handled by an unstable teenager with several emotional issues and still recovering from a 'traumatic experience'. Hell, the gamer wouldn't even trust himself with telling someone else what to do in a Party or something!

How was he supposed to not screw up and doing something he would regret at a planetary scale or worse?! Kazuto didn't even understand how the reality-warping existence of the thing worked, because he was sure it should have made him explode from the inside out long ago if it followed any of the human-known rules of physics, reinforced body or not!

As if waiting for the boy to make that question, the power within him once again forced an answer directly into his mind, if much more vague than the last one.

Looking 'up', the gamer suddenly was able to see four nigh-invisible 'threads' connected straight to the center of the…of _his_ Aether Core, not something physical but more like…spiritual? Metaphysical? Conceptual? Whichever the case was, the gamer saw how this extended in different directions, towards the corners of the 'Universe' that was now his soul and even beyond that, towards parts unknown.

They were 'Anchors', his power supply, the analogy of the name apparently apt, as it seemed that they were keeping his absurd cosmic powers stable by establishing a direct link to the physical world and, apparently, acting as 'external connections' through which to pump power 'outside' in case of an emergency.

Kazuto released a relieved sigh at the information, somewhat calming down. He wasn't sure of the specifics of what those things were, but their apparent purpose had lifted a weight off his shoulders. Curious about how exactly those 'Anchors' worked, the black-haired boy experimentally reached out for one and, with utmost concentration, 'pushed' a tiny bit of power through it.

For an instant, the gamer felt an oddly 'familiar' presence resonating with his consciousness before a strange and unexplainable shudder shook his soul, only for all the sensations to vanish the next instant.

It had felt strangely pleasant. Shaking his head, Kazuto was quick to decide he _wouldn't_ try messing up with whatever those things were until he knew how they worked (So, to read the damn manual again). Also, he quickly accessed his Aether Core and made sure to 'lock' them.

No matter if their purpose was actually beneficial, they had formed without him realizing, and he had enough to worry about without these powers of his acting by themselves. Theoretically, what he had just done should stop any other 'Anchor' from forming again without his direct awareness.

Satisfied and more tired than he had felt in some time, the black-haired boy returned to reality and quickly buried his face on 'his' pillow, falling sleep almost immediately while once again thinking about his adoptive sister.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the 'Anchor' the unknowing gamer had just pushed power through…Ayano Keiko twisted in her bed, releasing a soft moan while a strange, golden spark emerged from her, shooting around the room and crashing directly into her old Nerve Gear, guided by the 'scar' on her lower back.

With a small flash of energy, a pair of reddish eyes opened, the blue creature looking around the hospital room in confusion before spotting the young girl sleeping on the bed.

Releasing a happy sound of 'Kyuu!', the feathered being opened his wings and flew to the girl's side, snuggling against her and quickly being embraced in an apparently familiar position by the still sleeping, but now smiling, girl.

The next day would be quite the unreal surprise for Keiko. And the following weeks filled with a lot of confusion for more than one people, be it freaked out teenagers or pondering men and women being suddenly offered to help revolutionize the VR-industry.

But right in that moment, with the moon shining softly over the night sky, there was nothing but relaxation and peace on that small corner of the Earth.

And that was all that mattered.

* * *

 **December 5, 2024. Dicey Café, 19:30…**

Staring at the entrance of the small establishment, Yuuki Asuna wondered if she really should be there in that moment.

While it was truth that she had accepted the invitation to this 'Back from SAO'-party without a second thought, now that she was actually there she found herself assaulted with way too many doubts, thinking about how awkward it would be.

As far as she knew, none of the high-ranking members of the Knights of Blood were actually attending the party, understandable as most of them were some of the oldest of the game, and she didn't personally knew most of the random members of the guild that were actually attending. Hell, she was barely friends with Agil-san, Andrew on real life, the owner of the café.

Now that she thought about it, as sad as it sounded, the only people she could say that were truly 'close friends' of her were Argo (And she wasn't even sure if the Info Broker would be around), Lisbeth (Who had been acting a bit weird when they talked during the last month) and…Kirito.

Thinking about the boy brought a small blush to the chestnut-haired girl's face, which she quickly got rid of by shaking her head. She had already told herself several times that whatever silly feelings she had for the boy would be better off ignored, and that she needed to get over that crush she had unconsciously developed for him if she didn't want to screw up whatever friendship they could have now, back in the real world (Which was already going to be difficult, if her mother's silent disapproval of her just coming to this event was anything to go by). In fact, that was one of the main reasons why she had insisted in that they didn't see each other in the last month, only talking with him through the phone from time to time, under the excuse she wanted to be fully recovered before meeting him and 'everyone else' again.

Of course, that had been a lie in more ways than one. Biting her lips, the former sub-commander of the KoB looked at her gloved hands (For it was quite cold outside that night), as if waiting for them to suddenly vanish before her or something like that.

It didn't happen. Not that she was expecting it, though, even if she couldn't understand WHY no one had been able to see in the last weeks that she had suddenly woken up fully healed and in perfect condition. In fact, it was as if everyone had seen her recovering little by little during this time, though at an obviously abnormal rate, but still saw it as something 'good'.

It was kind of freaky, especially when not even her family seemed to react to the, dare she say, 'supernatural' event. Not to mention the fact that she felt _better than ever_ before in her life. While she hadn't been any slacker, Asuna had never before been part of any kind of sports club or anything like that. She spent most of her time before SAO studying, and while she didn't neglect her health or appearance she knew she wouldn't really stand a chance in any kind of sport or physical competition.

Yesterday, barely two days after officially getting out of the hospital and back home, she had accidentally thrown an old baseball belonging to her older brother so far away she wasn't able to find it even after running like crazy to do so. And then she had realized she had actually been running as fast as an Olympic athlete for almost a couple of kilometers, and that she wasn't feeling tired in the slightest.

So, to summarize, the chestnut-haired girl had more than enough reasons to be nervous about being there, and that without counting the strange dreams about stars and galaxies and things she couldn't even name. Sighing, the former sub-commander wondered where her old 'boss' would be in that moment. She was sure, after all, that Commander Heathcliff would be able to offer her some wise advice, as he always did in moments of need.

In that same moment, in the cabin on the middle of nowhere, Kayaba Akihiko twisted in place, trying to break free from the ropes tying him to the chair he was in. He was also only wearing his underwear.

Sitting at his side with a happy smile, Koujiro Rinko raised a spoon filled with soup towards him.

"Say 'Aaah', Aki-kun! We wouldn't want you to get too cold if you don't eat your soup, right?"

Almost mechanically, the father of virtual reality opened his mouth and drank the soup, resigned to his fate. Weeks of uselessly trying to escape had left him like that, even if his legs were more or less healed now.

At this point, he was only praying to whatever deity he did not believe in that the government or anyone found him already. He would prefer lifelong prison or being executed for his actions

Back in front of the Dicey Café, Asuna finally steeled her resolve, telling herself that that was what Commander Heathcliff would have told her to do if he had been there, and headed inside the bar, ready for anything.

"Welcome to…oh, if it isn't Asuna! Good evening!"

"Wha…?! Oh my God, is Asuna-sama!"

"For real?!"

"Sub-commander! It's an honor to see you again!"

"It really is Asuna 'The Flash'-sama! I can't believe it!"

"…ye-yeah, go-good evening to you all." awkwardly said the chestnut-haired girl while raising a hand, receiving several cheers as she did so.

Yep, she certainly _hadn't_ been prepared to remember she was more or less a celebrity back in SAO, probably the most famous female player and the second most famous player in general just after her old commander.

The rapier-user was just glad that she had long-since surpassed her fear and awkwardness to talk before large crowds, for that was the only thing which allowed her to not run away and out of the café with her face burning brightly. It was still a bit hard, though, given that she was more used to deal with serious meetings and battle plans than with her 'fans' (Something she had come to accept as 'the worst thing about being an important Front-liner').

Asuna was still trying to ignore such things and return to the matter at hand when she heard a familiar voice calling for her.

"Hey, Asuna, over here!" blinking at the voice, the chestnut-haired girl turned around to see the familiar face of Shinozaki Rika waving at her from a table next to the window, where she was sitting with a young and 'cute' girl, her hair in pigtails and seeming a bit awkward, looking in shock at how the blacksmith had called her. "You sure took your time, you know?"

"Ahahah…sorry about that, Liz, I…had a hard time finding the place." apologized the former sub-commander while walking towards her friend, sitting up beside her (Inwardly relieved at that) and then sending a curious glance to the young girl. "Oh, hi there. I don't believe we have been introduced, uhm…?"

"A-Ayano Keiko!" quickly introduced herself the young girl in a suddenly very stiff position, making Asuna sweatdrop. "I-it's an honor to meet you, Asuna-san! I heard a lot of incredible things about you back in SAO!"

"Silica-chan here was also quite popular in the Middle Floors, you know?" teased Rika while giving her friend one of her trademarks grins, though the chestnut-haired girl could have sworn there was something…'off' with it. "She was one of those super-rare Monster Tamers, and the only one who have a dragon pet! Seeing how cute he is must also have helped her popularity, though…"

"Li-Liz-san, please, I have already told you to stop calling me 'cute'…" pouted Keiko while looking at the blacksmith, almost making Asuna wish to give her a hug from how adorable she looked. "I'm not a little girl…"

"Sorry, sorry…but anyway, we were just talking about a certain common friend of ours! Did you know Kirito saved her life and helped her resurrect her pet?" informed Rika with a proud smile, making the surprised rapier user look at the younger girl in shock, who shyly looked at her drink with rosy cheeks. "Honestly, though, that boy seems to love going around looking for problems, uh?"

"Yeah…now that you mention it, I think he mentioned something about having a friend like that in passing before one of the last Boss Battles…" muttered Asuna with a thoughtful look, before looking at Keiko with an awkward smile. "Never would have imagined it was someone like you, though, given how…'rash' he was most of the time…"

"Ki-Kirito-san talked about me…?" whispered the Beast Tamer with a happy tone in her voice, making the former sub-commander blink in confusion and the blacksmith to raise an eyebrow.

"So, Silica-chan…" started Rika with a fake disinterested tone that wouldn't have fooled anyone, eyeing the younger girl with a strange glint in her eyes. "What exactly was your relationship with…?"

Whatever else the girl wanted to say was cut off, though, for in that moment the café's front door opened again and the owner's voice echoed with a clearly relieved tone.

"Ah, Kirito! Good to see you here."

"Wouldn't have missed it, Agil."

"Go-good evening…"

It was the last voice which paralyzed all three girls sitting on the same table. Especially because it was a _female_ one.

With an unnatural synchronization, their gazes snapped to the side to see the familiar figure of the black-haired boy, still dressed mostly in black even if he no longer wore that long coat they had gotten so used to see him in.

And just at his side, looking around shyly as she _held his hand_ , was an unknown girl who couldn't be older than the boy and that none of them had ever seen, beautiful and with a figure that put even Rika's to shame.

None of them missed the way she seemed to almost cling to him, or how the gamer didn't seem to mind this in the slightest, but in fact even _like_ it to some subtle degree.

Slowly, three pairs of eyes narrowed, and something that sounded suspiciously like teeth being grinded echoed in the 'background'.

Almost everyone inside the café wondered why it suddenly it didn't feel as cold as it had a moment ago…

* * *

If one looked at the sky of that marvelous and impossible place, they would have been awed at the sheer level of detail that had been put on it.

Countless stars filled the endless firmament, forming constellations that no person from Earth could recognize, some of impossible colors and others seeming bigger than should have been possible.

Of course, none could compare to the three bright suns that illuminated that world, currently having set somewhere beyond the 'horizon'. Which only meant that they were currently shining brightly at the other side of the _planet_ , for that was what this world was. An entire one.

In that exact place, though, a futuristic-looking city with structures that rose towards the heavens and vehicles that seemed out of this world moving everywhere, the beautiful night was currently shining under the light of the stars, which seemed to reflect off every single surface.

And floating high above this, a majestic fortress floated, glorious and with architecture that one would never associate with anything made by humans.

Given who had designed it, though, even if it was just a virtual imitation of polygons from the now destroyed real thing, such was understandable.

Inside the fortress, on its innermost sanctuary, a tall and elderly figure looked in silence at his strong hands, his long beard falling down almost to the ground, even as he arrived to one simple conclusion, turning around to let his strange robes to be seen.

 **-…I look like Yamamoto from Bleach, but dressed as a Jedi Knight.-** deadpanned the Great One while staring at his daughters, the three currently in the room staring at him.

"Now, now, dad, don't complain, you look awesome!" cheered Strea while raising a fist, the beautiful girl now dressed in a weird combination of purple-red armor and cloth that left very little to the imagination. Suffice to say there was less 'armor' covering her skin than there would be in the metal of a standard helmet.

It also was a piece of equipment that held one of the highest Defense Stats of the game, as it should be obvious. On her back, a wicked-looking and futuristic blade, almost as big as she was, hung silently.

"I-indeed, father! As Strea-nee said, your current appearance is more than fitting of your role!" added Haru while crossing her arms under her breasts, as she had seen her 'role model' do many times. "You're supposed to be the 'Ancient Ruler' of this world, after all!"

The MHCP-005 had personalized her appearance with utmost care, as it seemed obvious. Her hair was now a jet-black color, filled with strange metallic 'crests' to act as decorations, and it was almost shoulder-length, while her eyes were still red in color. She also seemed to have put herself just a bit less of chest-size than Strea.

Her 'clothes' consisted, for some reason, of some sort of fusion between a full-body swimsuit and pieces of robotic armor, like something that one would expect to see in some sort of ecchi/sci-fi anime. Still, one would have to be blind to deny the deadliness of the mace-like parts of the armor or the blade-like 'wings' the exosuit had on its back.

"So-sorry if you don't like it, Papa…" muttered Tomoe while looking down with teary eyes. "I-I did my best to think of something that would fit you without making you look 'too weird', as you asked…"

Contrary to her older sisters, the MHCP-006 wasn't wearing anything that seemed 'sexy' or 'lewd'. In fact, she was wearing what seemed like some kind of uniform one would expect to see a spaceship's military officer to wear, black and yellow, with gloves and everything; her now bright orange hair tied in a big ponytail and her looks being finished with some cute-looking glasses covering her black eyes.

The only 'weird' thing about her was probably the mechanic 'backpack' she carried, from where 6 mechanic 'arms' (More like 'claws', though) came and were apparently busing operating several holo-screens at the same time.

 **-Ugh…no, Tomoe, it's okay. I don't dislike the avatar, I was just…surprised, that's all.-** sighed the Eternal Conqueror while resisting the urge to facepalm, wondering when he had become 'weak' enough to be defeated by teary eyes. **-Still…I can't believe we actually pulled this off. Hell, with that 'special feature' we included on the 'Account Creation' system, the possibilities of SAO Players coming here will actually be massive. We MAY really find that accursed boy…-**

"Well, of course, dad! After all, Yui-nee planned all of this, and she never fails at anything!" cheered Strea with excitement before blinking and looking around. "Speaking of her…shouldn't she be here already? I mean, I know the others are finishing making sure everything is done and properly working for the 'Great Inauguration' next week, but her…"

"She said she would finally go around remodeling her own avatar and left to do it half an hour ago." informed Haru while putting a hand on her cheek, making Tomoe gasp in surprise and Strea to freeze in place. "I calculate that she should be done already, though…"

The words of the black-haired AI were suddenly interrupted by a surprised squeak, released by herself when her older sister and role model was suddenly grabbing her shoulders and staring at her with shiny eyes and a 'disturbing' smile.

"Haru-chan…are you saying that…Yui-nee finally…?"

The door chose that moment to open, dragging everyone's attention to it and making Strea's limp arms to fall from Haru, STARING towards the nervous but smiling figure standing there.

Unlike the rest, it seemed that all the changes the MHCP-001 had done to herself was her apparent age: She was now as tall as the oldest-looking of her sisters, her dark hair now falling down almost to the end of her back.

She was also wearing a simple white robe that hugged her mature body softly, some pieces of futuristic jewelry on her hands and neck in the forms of rings and a necklace with a ruby-like gem decorating her body, a beautiful tiara with that seemed like miniature stars now sitting atop her head.

At her waist's right side, what seemed like a 'handle' hung silently from the armor-like belt she wore.

"Uhm…how do I look? Is it weird?" questioned Yui with just a hint of awkwardness, tugging at her dress-robe's sleeves.

"Yo-you look great, Yui-neesama!" quickly shouted Tomoe with excitement, like a fangirl seeing her idol for the first time. "Breathtaking, awesome, magnificent!"

"You really think so?" asked the oldest of the virtual sisters while tilting her head. "I think is a bit over the top…I mean, Ivy insisted that I should wear this 'princess-like' getup, just because it's the one she and Eve designed especially for me, but I'm not really sure…what do you two think, Haru-chan, Strea?"

"I think…you look fantastic, Onee-sama." politely informed the MHCP-005 with a bright smile. "Isn't that right, Strea-neechan?…Strea-neechan?"

The aforementioned AI, however, didn't seem to hear any of this, too fixed on walking like a zombie untl she stopped directly in front of the confused form of Yui.

Then, unceremoniously, she squeezed her sister's breasts, which were now as big as hers, and made her moan in surprise before she jumped back out of her grasp.

"S-Strea-nee?! What was that for?!" demanded the oldest sister while covering her chest with her arms in a protective, a newfound instinct she wasn't sure where had come from.

"…now you REALLY look the part of the oldest sister, Yui-nee." proudly informed Strea while giving her a thumbs-up.

The cosmic being in the room couldn't resist the urge anymore and facepalmed, releasing a tired groan. Those 'daughters' of his were going to drive him insane sooner or later, he was sure of it.

"So, Papa, how do you like it?" suddenly asked Yui while trying to get the atmosphere back to how it was a few moments ago, pointing towards the impressive view of the city bellow and the sky above one could see from one side of the throne room. "We did everything we could with your help and with Tomoe-chan's notes when you were doing something else, but…"

 **-It's…truly surprising, to be honest. I know it's not real, but it certainly looks…as if I was really back in Authea.-** muttered the Great One while walking closer to the 'balcony', staring silently at the view even as what seemed like a massive and flying whale-like being passed close to the fortress, heading towards the stars above. **-I never thought I would see my home planet again like this, though. Not after being forced to destroy its burning remains on my escape…-**

"We know it's not the same, but we hope you at least feel more…at home, in here." softly said Yui while putting a hand on the Eternal Conqueror's back. "Don't worry Papa, we're going to get back your powers. You will see."

"Yep, you bet." added Strea while walking near them, sitting at the edge of the balcony without any fear to the deadly fall. "And 'Requiem Universus Online' will be the key for us to do so."

"…I just got word back from the others. All of RUO's systems are operational and no faults in the details or the game mechanics have been detected." suddenly spoke Tomoe while getting near her family, her bespectacled gaze over the different holo-screens her real and mechanic hands were operating. "We're ready when you are, father."

 **-…okay then. Let's do this.-** declared the cosmic being while closing his eyes. **-Engaging Cardinal System…-**

For an instant, there was silence as everything in the world seemed to come to standstill.

Then, the Great One's eyes shot open, countless streams of data visible through them before they returned to normal, even as he felt his consciousness expanding and connecting with every single corner of the virtual planet.

"…all systems functioning perfectly. Yin and Yan just reported that the mobs started spawning on their designated areas too, and their AIs seem to be working fine." informed Haru while putting a hand on the earphone part of her 'suit'. "They and the little ones should be back in a while. I think. Father?

 **-…it's done. We're online.-** spoke the Eternal Conqueror while turning around. **-I will contact our human associates in an hour, tell them to come see for themselves. Their surprise and shock this last month while we were on the development progress will be nothing compared to now.-**

"…finally decided how they should address you, then?" curiously asked Yui while she and her sisters followed their 'father' who sat silently on the throne-like seat in the center of the room. "After all, the money may have made them not care much for the whole 'anonymous' deal, especially with me contacting them through the fake identity 'Kirishima Yui', but now…"

 **-Yes. I have decided.-** answered the cosmic being while opening his eyes, staring in silence at his 3 daughters. **-It's the closest translation of my True Name to something humans can understand, in fact.-**

Silently raising a hand, the cosmic being let an orb of energy from in there, quickly sparkling countless others as they connected and formed the shape of an entire galaxy around the room, the girls looked in awe at the projections of stars and planets surrounding them.

Then, their father SPOKE once again, his voice now lacking the inhuman and mechanic tone it had until now, staring with shining eyes towards the display…

"I'm Yhmos, the last of the Ancient Rulers. And from this day onwards, the Omniverse shall know this truth: **I'm still here**."

And in the middle of the impressive and glorious moment…Strea's voice suddenly chirped in.

"The servers don't come online to the public until next week, though."

As the habit it seemed to becoming in nowadays, Yhmos facepalmed, even as the other three AIs laughed at their sister's declaration.

They would definitively drive him mad before any real chance of recovering his powers came up.

* * *

 **Lesson 3** **:** _Having Divine Powers may put unexpected complications in your friendships._

* * *

 **Next** **:** _Face to Face with a Cosmic Entity._

* * *

 **Omake: The Great One's Chronicles 2**

 _Hello again, everyone! Tomoe-chan is here once again, with more information on daddy's universe! This time, I have noted down what he said about 'Concepts', something very important and powerful, apparently. Here it is!_

The Concepts of Reality

The Planes in which the Omniverse is divided had many and different laws that govern them, several of them specific for one or another, but only within Reality can we find the higher ones, those who can affect every single Plane Inside the Omniverse.

These are the 'Concepts', the very Laws that form the fabric of Creation. All the beings that exist within Reality, roughly 99,999 % of the Omniversal 'population', can only do so thanks to these 'powers'.

The first and most basic ones are, of course, those belonging to the 6 Absolute ones. There is no way of truly explain a Concept with just words, but to help someone with a simple 3-dimensional view of the world to understand it, it would be something like this: [TIME], the Absolute One, governs over the Concept of [Time], the power. Likewise does [DEATH] over the Concept of [Death], and so on.

Six Concepts of Reality, which were what brought forth the origin of all. However, Concepts are an ever-changing force, a power that evolves as long as Reality exists. As such, as intelligent beings started to manifest within the Omniverse, new Concepts were born. And while Concepts are an absolute power, for no other 'normal' force of Reality can oppose them, none of them are the same and some are, obviously, more powerful than others, while many manifest in different and unpredictable ways. Still, from my studies, I have managed to deduce that the more 'specific' a Concept is, the smallest his power, and more likely it is to succumb before another one or to manifest in a very 'simple' way.

Explained in a simplified way, the Concept [Sword] will fall before the Concept of [Love]. And [Love] cannot hope to compare with [Divinity]. Despite this, if the Concept is unspecific enough, like [Pain], they may be unable to properly manifest and fall before a simpler one, like [Water].

To connect with a Concept is almost literally impossible, even for most Divine Beings, and even less with a specific one. Only those who truly understand the Cosmos and have powers that allow them to connect with it at least to a Universal level, can hope to know the terrifying powers of the Concepts of Reality. Even so, this is extremely difficult, and I myself can only make use of the Concept [Destruction] when I'm at full power, and quickly exhausting my reserves, hence why I prefer to use my Cosmic Powers over making use of the Concept, as there is usually no real need for such an unnatural power.

However, for some unknown reason that even today escapes my understanding, there are exceptions to this rule…

Conceptual Wielders

I have spent several millennia investigating this phenomenon. Even until just before my 'fall', there were still several space sectors of my domain dedicated exclusively to investigate it…and yet I still can't find any logical explanation for it.

Whatever the case may be, though, the fact that this happens is truth, even if my whole understanding of the Omniverse declares that is wrong: Sometimes, somehow, lesser beings without power related to or direct understanding of the Universe gain the ability to tap into the power of Concepts.

The only inkling of a clue I have manage to obtain after all this time is that, once every million Universes within once every million Multiverses, someone who has a strong enough affinity with a Concept is born and, if they go through a determined 'Trigger', the connection can be establishing more by a whim of the Concept than for the user itself (While this only happens with lesser beings and not with superior ones of Divine or Cosmic Level, though, still confuses me).

While the WHY this happens still eludes me, I have been able to more or less identify how the mechanics of this absurd phenomenon seem to work with these 'Conceptual Wielders'. Basically, their interactions with the Concepts can be classified in two types:

 **Instrumental:** The most common ones. The user basically calls forth the Concept and canalizes it into reality through an object they possess, 'overwriting' the object's existence for that of the Concept. This can be a weapon, armor, or even far more mundane possessions. All that truly seems to be need for the process to work is that the object in question has both a deep connection with the user and the Concept in question. Also, the way in which the Concept manifests itself will most likely be defined by the object in question, so this may limit greatly how the concept is manifested, depending on which object is the catalyst.

 **Over-Self:** The rarest cases, and also extremely dangerous one, unlike the previous. It basically consists in overwriting once own existence with the Concept of Reality in question, elevating the user into an entity of Conceptual existence. While this grants an immense and absurd power that is borderline on the Cosmic level, not to mention it turns someone immune to anything that can't damage things on a Conceptual Level, and allow for a freedom in the use of the power limited only by the Concept used, it also presents the risk of losing your own Existence to the Omniverse. Concepts are dangerous and very powerful things, even the simplest of them having power to potentially decimate entire civilizations, so trying to use one in such way is too dangerous even by beings at my level of power, let alone lesser ones. If one were to lose their connection or own understanding of the Concept at any moment while in the 'Conceptual State', their own Identity would be engulfed and devoured by the Concept, their existence quickly vanishing and being erased from Reality permanently. It's a power I don't have a need of, and most likely would never use myself even if I could find a way to do so.

The existence of Conceptual Wielders, though, is a massive rarity on the Omniverse, as I have stated before. Even after observing more than 698 million Universes within my own Multiverse alone, I have barely seem a dozen of them, and only a third of these were of the Over-Self Type. All the other info about them has been obtained from recordings or soul-reading.

The likeliness of more than one Conceptual Wielder existing within a same Universe is almost nonexistent, the idea of more than that being borderline ridiculous. You would need something like a giant 'Bug', in human computers' terms, in the fabric of the Omniverse for this to happen.

Apparently, Wielders of most of the 6 Original Concepts have existed before, though they have never lived long or were directly destroyed the first time they used them, consumed or annihilated by one of the powers that form the base of Reality itself. Of course, given that using any gives you an indirect connection to an Absolute One, this is understandable: Even if their existence is so above ours that we don't usually register on their presence, even the strongest souls shatter after feeling an inkling of their immensity, which cannot be understood by lesser beings, and even myself still have trouble understanding.

There has never been a wielder of the Concept [Fate] before, though, and it will never be as long as the Omniverse stands, for this is literally the power to totally bend all of Reality at the Imaginary Level.

Only [FATE] Itself uses Its own Concept, and this apparently only when Reality needs to be 'purified'…

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Chapter done! Next time, catfight! …no, okay, sorry, it was just a joke. Really XD _(_ _ **B/N:**_ _No! I wanted to see a fight happen…nyow I won't. Thanks.)_

You know, this story is even more 'fun and relaxing' to write than I originally thought, especially in the parts where I get to 'play around' with the character development. Mainly because the SAO cast has way deeper characters than many think, anyone who has read the novels before the anime even came out can easily tell that. Many of the 'small' changes they made and other things they outright eliminated when they animated the novels left a lot to be desired and made the characters seem less human than they should, not to mention most of the really important parts about them are their thoughts or PoVs, which were not shown at all in the anime compared to the novels.

Silica and Lisbeth are clear examples of this, the former making the latter seem more childish than she is and also not showing just how deeply Pina's death affected her and that the utter loneliness and confusion she felt after losing the only real 'friend' she had made since being trapped in Aincrad were what made her cling so much to Kirito at first, or how the latter's decision to be the 'good friend' towards Asuna and not speaking her feelings was much harder than it looked, especially because from that day on Kirito went to her for anything blacksmith-related, which given how many Upgrades Elucidator and Dark Repulser had at the end of the game is quite a fucking lot of days seeing him (In the novels even more, as a VERY important part, which I made a mention to in this chapter, was eliminated from the anime: Liz was very curious as to why he wanted a sword 'equal or better' to the one he already had, which was very good, and in the end he actually answered her by showing her his Dual Blades just after she made Dark Repulser and before Asuna arrived, which essentially made Lisbeth the first and ONLY character Kirito told about his Unique Skill by choice, before the forced reveal against the Gleam Eyes, which showed just how much he had really come to respect and care for her after what happened in the cave).

Kirito is probably the 'funniest' one to 'play' with because, as I have stated before, the boy was a massive emotional wreck in SAO, especially near the end, always hiding it behind that cheeky attitude of his, another thing the anime didn't show quite well most of the time. The idiot was starving for true affection and companions at the same time that he had real problems seeing when he went too far. In fact, if it hadn't been for almost killing himself to stop the 74th Boss and Asuna subsequently forced herself into his life even more after seeing him do that, he would have stayed the same till the end (Which is why happened here, as this story took him from canon BEFORE any of the real bonding with her could happen. While I don't dislike Asuna and I think he and Kirito make a cute couple, I'm pretty sure that, in his state, he would have opened himself to anyone who said that they truly wanted to be with him, as what he felt for Asuna before the whole deal, and vice versa, wasn't more than a hopeful crush. If Lisbeth had done so that day, he would have probably said yes to her. Not so sure about Silica, but maybe if she tried hard enough). The main reason of his 'confusing feelings' for Sugu right now is (Besides this author's obvious liking of her XD [ _and the Beta Reader's]_ ) caused mainly for this and how accepting and caring of him he had been, more than anyone ever in the last two years, even more than in canon as she isn't 'breaking down inside' by knowing he loves another girl. When you throw so many teenage emotions and add Cosmic Powers into the mix, well…let's just say that the scene at the end of the café should have shown you that things are going to get a bit 'difficult' :P

Oh yeah, and I hope you liked the Omake! Be it if you came from reading OPG (Which should explain somewhat several of the 'weird' things that were shown in there, BTW) or if you're reading this story on its own. If you're of the latter group, don't worry, that crazy info will also mean something in this story, especially in the 'nefarious plans' of Yhmos and his daughters XD (Hope you enjoyed that scene :D)

Finally, a last reminder to those who read my other fic that I will finish this one before getting started with the sequel, and that I urge them dearly, for their own sake, to use this time to read the Alicization Arc of the SAO Light Novels. Not only you won't get Spoilers when the sequel of OPG comes out, you won't regret it as it's the best of the SAO Arcs, and I fear how much they're going to screw/take out when they finally adapt it to anime -.- (Again, I can help you get the novels if you're interested, I have them on my PC, just sent me a PM if you are :3)

Well, that's all for now, boys and girls. Also, next time will be the last chapter of the 'Introduction Arc' of this story, and where the 'real plot' of this madness will start, so look forward to it! It will be hilarious XP! _(_ _ **B/N:**_ _Real plot?! I thought this story was only about ridiculous feelings of love [and Suguha] thrown around everywhere.)_

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	5. Chapter 4: Face to Face

Alright everyone, here is Saint again for you all!

Okay, so, this is coming VERY late compared to what it should have, but I have an explanation for that, both good and bad news: The good ones? I got a new laptop, it's great and efficient and has the whole keyboard functioning, so my writing-rate should go up! The bad thing is that I had to spend 2 days setting it up (There was A LOT of things that needed to be downloaded) and another one moving the files I could from my old PC to the new. Also, I couldn't recover the auto-correction of Word from my other machine, so I lost all the fanfic-related 'shortcuts' I had and I have been having to put them back one by one (The ones from this story aside, putting back most of those from OPG was almost nightmarishly long). And then, as luck would have, I caught a fucking cold IN SUMMER. Lucky me -.-

But anyway! I'm already feeling better and finally managed to finish this thing, so without more delay, I will stop telling you my problems and let you enjoy the extra-long end of the first arc, with the 'epic' confrontation between our protagonist and a cosmic entity! Enjoy XD!

 **PD:** This chapter was betaed by One More Guy. He likes tipping his fedora. *tips fedora*

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy. _(_ _ **B/N:**_ _Reki, if you're reading this, plis do it.)_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Face to Face with a Cosmic Entity**

 **December 5, 2024. Dicey Café, 19:35…**

As she stood beside her adoptive brother on the entrance of the establishment known as 'The Dicey Café', Kirigaya Suguha wondered again if she should really be there.

After all, this 'party' was supposed to be some kind of celebration for SAO Survivors, something those who had gone through and managed to survive that accursed Death Game had prepared to remind each other that they had achieved their goal and returned home.

So it was understandable that, when Kazuto told her out of the blue about the party and, more importantly, if she wanted to _go with him_ , she had been absolutely flabbergasted. When she had inquired about why would he want her to go, however, the gamer's answer had surprised her even more.

 _"I won't feel as nervous among all those partying people if I have you by mi side, Sugu. I feel…calmer, when you're with me. Plus, I can introduce you to my friends and…!"_

The young kendoka could still remember how her heart had gone wild and a gentle warmness had spread through her after his first words, mostly tuning out the rest of the black-haired boy's speech.

Anyone with half a brain could tell that Kazuto wasn't the most sociable person, even without knowing his backstory, which was the reason that had both surprised and relieved her to know that he had managed to make some friends while being trapped in the virtual world, even more after he shared with her most of what he went through in SAO.

To know that they had grown so close that he said her mere presence was enough to make him feel happy…maybe her feelings weren't as hopeless as she thought?

Those thoughts aside, however, the point was that she was there with the gamer, and there was no backing down now. And so, after mustering her courage, Suguha followed her adopted brother inside the café.

Inside, there was…a normal party. Hell, it wasn't even fully a 'party', in a way, because while people well clearly celebrating and having a fun time with their friends, there was a subdued calm and peace in the ambient, as if everyone just wanted to maintain a certain relaxed atmosphere which took the girl truly by surprise.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting about a party filled with people who had survived two years trapped in another world fighting for their lives, but it certainly wasn't something as…'normal' as that was.

And that was when the bald man of dark skin that was clearly the bartender turned towards them and smiled at her brother.

"Ah, Kirito! Good to see you here." greeted Andrew in sight of his old friend and sometimes business partner.

"Wouldn't have missed it, Agil." smiled Kazuto while raising a hand in greeting, letting his adoptive sister recognize the man from his tales about Aincrad, the gamer even having been living atop his shop for the last months of the Death Game.

"Go-good evening…" shyly muttered the young kendoka while giving out a nervous smile, idly aware of how she had starting holding the black-haired boy's hand at some point and that she was leaning slightly closer to him. She felt herself both happier and relieved when he didn't seem to mind.

The girl wasn't this shy in most situations (Not after a year of playing ALO and becoming one of the best and most famous Sylphs), but something about these particular circumstances just made her feel extremely nervous, as if she was entering a part of the gamer's life that she wasn't sure how to react to.

Her brother had fought for his life endlessly among some of these people, interacted with others in good or bad ways and 'befriended' a couple in strange and kind of crazy ways that seemed more fitting for an adventure manga's plot than real life.

Then again, she was the one with which he had shared the secret of having somehow gotten the power of some sort of alien God and also the one helping him deal with it, so…

Suguha's thoughts were suddenly cut off when she felt a shiver running down her back, barely resisting the urge to look around. Out of nowhere, it was as if someone was directing an untold amount of hostility towards her, like when she would clash against enemy Salamanders in the middle of a Quest, but amplified a thousand times.

But that made no sense, she didn't know anyone that was in there, the only SAO Survivor she knew personally being Kazuto, so who and why was directing all of that killing intent towards…?

"Kirito, my bro, great to see you again!" came a jovial voice from near the two teens, making them turn around to see a man on his twenties with brownish spiky hair help up by a red bandana wrapped around his head, walking away from a group of men of similar age to get near the smiling gamer. "Got to say, it almost doesn't seem as if you were in a coma for two years, but that may be because you are really just that skinny, heh…"

"Good to see you're the same as ever, Klein." softly grinned the black-haired boy, idly wondering what face the samurai-wannabe would made if he saw the tightly packed muscle he actually had now on his body, concealed by his loose shirt and pants. "I see you and your whole guild came to the party, uh?"

"Hell yeah, my friend! Fuurinkazan would never miss the chance to…!" then, Tsuboi Ryoutarou's brain finally acknowledged the presence of someone else besides his long-time 'pal', almost making him drop his glass when his eyes settled over Suguha's curious form. "…hey there, fair lady, I don't think we have met before. Name is Tsuboi Ryoutarou, Klein for friends, 24, single and…!"

A hand moving faster than what the young man would have thought was inhumanly possible settling on his shoulder was all the warning the samurai-wannabe had before he felt some kind of strange and terrifying pressure filling the air around him, making Ryoutarou feel as if his soul had already been taken by some angry demon and all he could do now was beg for mercy.

It was Kazuto's hand, and he was SMILING towards him in a way that the young man was sure would give him nightmares for life.

"Hey, Klein. This is Suguha, _my little sister_. I talked to you about her the first day in SAO, remember?" getting a shaky nod for the suddenly pale katana-user, the still smiling gamer patted his shoulder and let go of him. "Good. Well then, if you excuse us, I think we will order something from Agil over there. Have a good night!"

Those words said, the black-haired boy calmly walked away while dragging his adoptive sister (Who did her best to look apologetic _while avoiding_ getting near Ryoutarou), never stopping smiling. Only when they siblings were already talking with the barman, and introducing the youngest one to him, did the samurai-wannabe dare to talk again.

"Fu-fuck…who would have thought _that guy_ , of all people, had an 'overprotective big brother' side? Ah, and such a shame too, his sister is surely going to be the hottest babe around in some years…"

While the young man lost himself in his ramblings, however, he had no idea how his small exchange with the two Kirigayas had immensely relieved a certain pair of girls sitting on a table not far from there.

"Oh…so it was only his sister." muttered Asuna with a weak grin, even as Rika let out a shaky chuckle.

"Hah, yeah, well, it would have been impossible for that idiot to get with a girl that cute anyway. Don't you think so, Silica?" when there was no answer to her question, the confused blacksmith turned her head to look at the silent last occupant of the table. "Silica-chan…? Eh?"

"Uh?" added the former sub-commander while also turning around, her eyes widening at seeing the frozen and empty look on the younger girl's eyes, who was still staring in the siblings' directions without blinking.

An aura of depression and darkness seemed to somehow be surrounding Keiko's head, even as a weak mumbling came from her half-open mouth.

"That…his little sister…said I reminded him of her…what kind of joke was that…? Impossibly big…"

Both older girls gave Keiko a deadpanning look, their eyes twitching ever so slightly at hearing it.

None of them had wanted to even think about the fact a girl that apparently was barely older than the beast tamer was 'more developed' than them, but it seemed that it had been too much for the youngest of the group, with who she apparently had been compared at some point by the idiotic boy in black they all knew (And 'secretly' had feelings for).

"Well, I think that should be enough of making things awkward in this party. Let's greet that sword-loving idiot!" declared Rika with a wide grin before turning around and raising her voice, none of the others reacting in time to stop her. "Hey, Kirito! Aren't you going to come and say hello to your favorite people in the world?"

Startled at someone calling his name, the aforementioned gamer needed some seconds of looking around in confusion before his apparently amused sister pointed him in the right direction, a smile appearing on his face as he saw the waving form of the blacksmith and the other two girls sitting on the same table, quickly standing up from where he was and heading towards them while Suguha followed after him.

"Hahah, very funny, Liz." sarcastically replied Kazuto once he got close enough, before giving them all a smile that made something within them to shake. "It's great to see you all out of the hospital, though. "

"We-well, not everyone has the same absurd luck of recovering in half the time like you, Kirito-kun." huffed Asuna while giving him a sideways look, though the corner of her lips curved into a smile gave away her true feelings on the matter.

"Must you always have the last word, Asuna?" rhetorically asked the black-haired boy with a small shake of his head, before gesturing towards the waiting girl at his side with a clearly upbeat tone. "Everyone, this is Suguha, my little sister. Sugu, these are Liz, Silica and Asuna…uhm, well, technically Rika, Keiko and Asuna here in the real world…"

"It's a pleasure, Suguha-chan." greeted the former sub-commander with a comforting smile.

"Same here. And I got to say, I can't believe this idiot here has such a cute little sister…" idly commented the blacksmith while subtly glancing towards a certain part of the younger girl's anatomy.

"Hi…Kirito-san's little sister…it's a pleasure…" said the beast tamer in an almost robotic way, her smile seeming just a _tad_ forced.

"Uhm, likewise, everyone…" answered the young kendoka with an idea of apprehension.

Certainly, she had heard a bit about the three girls before her when her adopted brother told her about SAO, and more when she asked about the friends he had visited on the hospital a while back, but it seemed that it hadn't really sunk on her brain that the closest people the boy had had while trapped inside the virtual world (And that weren't a clearly desperate Casanova-wannabe 8 years older than him or a barman almost twice his age) were _three cute girls_.

Hell, if she was remembering it right, even the one that looked like a little girl was just some months younger than her! Was he especially close to one of them?! Well, it didn't seem like that, or she would surely have noticed it the last month, but he certainly seemed to care for them, and the looks she had caught them giving him weren't exactly the most 'innocent' she had seen, so maybe one of them really…

"Uhm, Silica? You okay?" asked the confused Kazuto while looking at the strangely tense Keiko, ignoring of his sister's inner turmoil.

"Yes…I am…"

"Leave her be, Kirito. She's just trying to cope with the unfairness of reality." mystically 'explained' Rika as she moved her hand up and down and forming a straight line, which only served to confuse the gamer even more, even as Asuna suppressed a sigh and turned her full attention towards the silent Suguha, who was still lost in her own frantic musings.

"Yeah, well, we're a bit of an odd bunch (Though not odder than the idiot that is your brother), but it's still a pleasure to meet you." finished the chestnut-haired girl while extending her hand towards the young kendoka, breaking her out of her tumultuous line of thought.

"O-oh, yeah, well, if you have had to put with Onii-chan for quite some time then I guess I can understand that." replied Suguha with a weak chuckle while extending her own hand, even as the aforementioned boy complained about her declaration, making Rika release her own laugh and Keiko to nod numbly.

The moment both girls' hands touched, though…

 **(CONNECTION)**

 _Endless stars filling the ever-expanding Universe, all of them burning with untold power…_

 **(ANCHOR)**

 _Four 'chains' made out of all-powerful energy, cosmic links into something even greater than the brightest galaxy…_

 **(STABILITY)**

 _Gorgeous, beautiful beyond any word or concept that simple human minds could think of, their psyche only able to perceive it like a titanic 12-pointed star of blue-white fire/energy…_

 **(RULER)**

 _All of it, contained within a soul. All of it, part of them. All of it, part of Him._

 _The boy clad in black…_

 **(ETERNITY)**

With a gasp, Kazuto staggered one step back from the table, his eyes quickly scanning the room as he regained his balance, as if trying to make sure no one else had noticed the sudden 'hallucination' that had swept over him.

Then, his gaze slowly returned to the four girls before him and he was suddenly forced to gulp loudly.

All of them looked as if they had just gotten out of some earth-shaking trance, Asuna and Suguha still frozen with their hands interlocked and staring at each other as if it was the first time they were truly seeing another human being. Rika and Keiko were doing pretty much the same, but their gazes quickly broke away to look towards the other two, who did the same in return.

Then, as one and with eerie synchronization, they turned to look towards the pale gamer.

In unison, four 'marks', now big enough for their strange shape to be easily recognizable, started to shine with an ethereal blue-white light on the four girls' bodies: in the middle and just above the young kendoka's chest, on the back of the former sub-commander's right hand, on the left one of the blacksmith and just above the beast tamer's backside.

Without even thinking, each of the now panicking girls covered the strange marks with their hands (Which looked kind of awkward for Keiko) and stood up alike, one quickly heading towards the café's exit without saying a word.

"Sorry Agil, something came up, we have to go, bye!" quickly spluttered Kazuto while sprinting after them, the group getting many odd looks as they exited the establishment.

"…well, that happened." said a blinking Andrew with evident confusion on his face. "Why would they go off running like that, though?"

"…freaking Kirito. Only he gets in situations that would end with him running away with a bunch of cute girls." lamented Ryoutarou with a clearly depressed look, even as his friends looked at their ex-guild leader with a mix of pity and exasperation. "It's not fair, I tell you…"

Meanwhile, almost two streets away from the Dicey Café, the small group of running teenagers finally stopped and tried to calm down as they let out quite loud gasps.

Not because they were tired, mind you. After all, every single one of them probably had the energy to keep running through the entire city without getting tired…and each of them knew that now.

"What…?! How…?! What the hell was that?!" finally demanded Rika while looking straight at the pale Kazuto.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit…" was all that came out of the black-haired boy's mouth.

"Then you also saw it?! It wasn't a dream?! All of that info getting into my head?!" shouted Asuna while putting a hand over her forehead. "What…what in the name of Aincrad is an 'Ancient Ruler'?! Why am I an Anchor? WHAT is even an 'Anchor'?!"

"It was real…that explains so much…" whispered Keiko with wide eyes, even as she looked from each of her friends to the boy she liked and his sister. "Ki-Kirito-san…"

"Onii-chan, what was that?! What did you do?!" half-shrieked Suguha with wide eyes, looking at her panicking brother with a confused/demanding look. "I…I can _feel_ them! And I'm pretty sure they can feel me and each other too! And…and I suddenly feel very strong and…what did your powers do?!"

"Powers?" repeated the three female SAO Survivors with shocked eyes, even as the only boy present just shook his head.

"I-I don't know, I swear! This…this happened on its own, my powers must have somehow…'affected' them when I went to see them last month!" tried to explain the gamer while closing his eyes, concentrating in the strange and warm 'connection' he suddenly felt towards the girls near him, making them shiver as they 'felt' his presence through the 'link'. "And…it must have also affected you, but we couldn't feel it because my presence somehow muted the 'effects', probably something to do with the Aether Core, but now that you all met and I 'blocked' the system that was creating Anchors…"

"Wait, what?! You _knew_ about this and didn't tell me anything?!"

"I just knew my powers created _something_ called 'Anchors' to keep themselves stable and don't blow me and the planet up! Do you really think I wouldn't have told you if I knew that meant I had accidentally linked my weird and apparently unstable cosmic powers with you and three of my friends?!"

"Ah…n-no, sorry, Onii-chan, I wasn't implying tha-that you didn't trust me or a-anything, I just…sorry…"

"Wa-wait, Sugu, calm down! Don't cry, please, it IS kind of my fault since I didn't tell you anything about the whole Anchor thing because I thought it wouldn't matter and…!"

"Kirito-kun." suddenly interrupted Asuna with an eerily calm voice, making Kazuto's head snap towards the chestnut-haired girl. "I promised myself that I would try and stop being 'pushy' or 'bossy' with you, like I have done many times since I became the Knights of Blood's sub-commander, for the sake of our friendship…but if you don't explain us just WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON in the next _five_ seconds, then I think I'm going to hurt you _real_ bad."

"…it's kind of a long and very complicated story." lamely tried to explain the gamer.

"…we can go to my home. It's not far from here and my parents just went out to have dinner after dropping me at the party." softly commented Keiko with a strangely quiet voice, her words surprising everyone as they looked at her. "Kirito-san and Suguha-san can explain while we head there. And…I also want to show you all something, something that I think is related to all of this…"

"…okay, yeah, why not? We aren't going to get crazier or understand anything of this weird space-mumbo-jumbo in our heads by just standing here." shrugged Rika before putting a hand over the younger girl's shoulder. "Lead the way, Silica-chan. And you two, move your asses and follow us, you owe us a BIG explanation."

Anything the Kirigaya siblings could have thought of to try and protest against her words died at the look both the blacksmith and Asuna gave them, even as the beast tamer nodded and started to guide the way. Inwardly, Kazuto cursed everything under the sky.

It seemed that things had quickly escalated out of his control…again.

* * *

"Let me get this straight: So, SAO really ended because of the interference of some sort of…super alien? Space God? And this 'thing' somehow thought it would be a good idea to just leave YOU with all its powers?"

"Uhm, to be fair, Liz, from have I have deducted I'm pretty sure it _wasn't_ his original intention for that to happen, more likely take over my body or something, but it just…happened."

"…yeah, as crazy as it is, that DOES seem to be the kind of crazy thing that would happen with your 'luck'…"

Resisting the urge of saying anything back to Rika after that, Kazuto just stared forward as Keiko opened her home's door and let them all inside, with a soft mutter of 'Excuse us' coming from the gathered teens as they entered, even if the youngest girl of the group had already told them she didn't mind.

On the way to the beast tamer's apartment, the resigned gamer had done his best to explain to the three girls the 'truth' behind everything that happened since the day SAO ended, both his actual experiences and what he had more or less found out with Sugu adding a comment or two from time to time, but otherwise remaining strangely silent as she eyed the SAO Survivors.

To say they were 'surprised' was to put it mildly, but he had been utterly shocked when both Keiko and Asuna seemed to have 'accepted' the truth without nearly as much troubles as Rika was clearly having. The former for some unknown reason that she said they would 'understand once we arrive' and the other because she said that it explained the abnormal feeling she got when she saw _that thing_ tearing apart his SAO Avatar.

And to be honest, the blacksmith seemed to have pretty much accepted the truth of the matter just now. Even the kind of disturbing part about his mostly unknown and clearly somewhat sentient powers 'marking' them for some unknown rea…

"Kyuuu!" came a vaguely familiar sound as soon as the black-haired boy entered the living room, he barely having any time to blink before a bluish blur shot towards him, Kazuto barely managing to catch the creature with his arms.

The shocked gamer found himself staring at a familiar feathered figure, his red eyes staring directly at his with a barely perceptible 'smile'.

"Wha-what in the…?!" the boy spouted, taken aback from the creature flying straight at him.

"A-A dragon?!"

"Ho-how cute! Uhm, I mean, Onii-chan, you okay?!"

"N-no, bad Pina, don't do that! Ki-Kirito-san, I'm truly sorry for…!"

"It's okay, Silica, I didn't even feel it." interrupted the boy with an awkward smile, before looking back towards the feathery dragon on his arms. "So this is why you believed everything so fast, uh? Hi there, Pina. Is good to see you again."

"Kyuu." greeted back the familiar with a small movement of his head, even as the other girls crowded around him in awe.

"He…he appeared on my hospital bed the day after you came to visit me. I thought it had been some kind of miracle or something, especially when I woke up completely recovered, s-so I hid him every day until I got released and then brought him home after making him pass for a doll…" quickly explained Keiko while petting the bluish creature, who cooed happily at his master's touch, making her smile. "Your explanation may sound a bit crazy, but it actually explains how this happened…and I want to thank you for it, Kirito-san, even if you didn't actively do it…"

"…that energy I pushed through the link that day…" muttered the gamer with a small frown, which quickly turned into a smile when he saw both Asuna and Sugu reaching to touch the small creature, smiles appearing on their faces as the dragon relaxed into their touch. "Well, I'm glad it did something good even if unexpected…"

"…okay then, this more than proves that you probably aren't crazy, or that we're having a collective hallucination. I'm more inclined to believe it's the former." declared Rika with an awkward smile before putting a hand on Kazuto's shoulder, ignoring the strange feeling of 'excitement' that seemed to shake the 'link' between them as she did so. "Honestly, I thought you were better at keeping secrets, Kirito. After all, you always made sure to do everything to not let anyone know about your Dual Blades Skill…"

"Dual Blades?" came the confused words of the other two SAO Survivors, even as Suguha blinked and tilted her head.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned something about getting the ability to dual wield in the game, right?" the young kendoka seemed clearly confused when she saw the shocked looks on the other two girl's faces. "What?"

"Ki-Kirito-san could use Skills with two swords?!"

"Wait…you mean to tell me you had an 'Unique Skill' like commander Heathcliff and you _never told me_?!"

"Ehm…well…I…Li-Liz, you promised to never say it!"

"Hey, SAO already ended, genius! There is no need to keep the secret anymore, right?"

And even as 'chaos' ensued with the former sub-commander demanding an explanation from the gamer, the blacksmith laughing openly and the beast tamer desperately trying to calm Asuna down, Suguha couldn't help but smile, her 'fears' of before about the girls' relationships with her adopted brother forgotten and replaced with a simple thought.

 _"Onii-chan made some really great friends while he was trapped, uh?"_ softly echoed in the young kendoka's head, even as she saw Pina lazily flying away from the boy's arms and landing on the nearby table, as if to calmly watch the events. "…heh. You have a cute friend, Keiko-san."

"Uh?! O-oh, thanks, Suguha-san…" suddenly finding herself in the center of attention of the girl she _really_ wished not to be compared with, Keiko couldn't help but blush, before quickly seeing a way to defuse the awkward situation and stop Asuna's sudden demands. "Ah, uhm, so, d-do you have any hobbies or something, Suguha-san?!"

"Eh? Oh, well, I practice kendo, have gotten into some big tournaments recently too, and I play ALO from time to time, so…"

"Wait, ALO? As in, Alfheim Online?" the chestnut-haired girl's words as she suddenly seemed to forget the fact that her 'friend' had been hiding a potentially powerful trump card from her and the other Front Liners for an undetermined period of time took everyone by surprise, seeing how she was looking at Suguha with clear shock.

"Uhm, yes? Have you heard about it before, perhaps?"

"Not exactly…my father is the CEO of the main company that runs it, so…" the former sub-commander froze and instinctively covered her mouth after mumbling those words, but the 'damage' was already done.

"What?! Yo-you mean…your father is the president of RECT Inc., the main company of RECT Progress?!" shouted the young kendoka with utter shock.

"Holy shit, you're the daughter of an important company guy?! You're rich?!" Rika seemed clearly stunned for a moment before 'playfully' hitting the other girl's shoulder. "Asuna, those are the kind of things you tell your best friend after getting out of a Death Game, you know?!"

"I…well…"

"…you know, somehow, I'm not surprised." idly muttered Kazuto after some seconds of silent shock, shaking his head and not noticing the apprehensive look Asuna sent his way at his words. "I mean, under all that 'Serious Sub-commander' vibe of yours, you always seemed to hold yourself with the classic 'Ojou-sama' elegance."

"He-hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" heatedly demanded the chestnut-haired girl, barely hiding the relief his carefree answer made her feel.

Suguha noticed it, though. Even so, the young girl decided not to question it. Things were already awkward/complicated enough as they were (And that was taking cosmic powers into account), and all of them seemed to have the chance of becoming good friends.

Any worries about what those girls could or could not feel about _HER_ Onii-chan would be forgotten… _for now_.

"So, uhm…would any of you want some tea?" shyly asked Keiko once everything was calm again; at least seemingly.

Exchanging a glance, everyone smiled and nodded, making the beast tamer beam as her dragon friend flew and settled over her head.

Half an hour later, the Kirigaya siblings were walking back home, heading towards the nearest bus stop as they calmly enjoyed the silence of the night.

They were holding hands, but none of them seemed to mind or really notice that little fact that much.

"Heheh…you sure have some curious friends, Onii-chan." cheerfully commented Suguha while giving her adopted brother a sideways glance.

"Yeah, laugh all you want, Sugu. Sorry if my 'trusted companions' weren't all that you expected them to be." joked back Kazuto while looking to the sky, a small smile on his face.

"Well, that Klein guy seemed kind of nice. Can you give me his number?" both teens were unable to keep their faces straight at the words for more than 3 seconds, bursting out laughing openly at that. "…ahahahah…! God…but in all seriousness, Onii-chan…don't go around linking your Space God-powers with any more girls, okay?"

The black-haired boy wasn't sure why, he felt a strange chill running down his back when his little sister said the last words, despite her cheerful and carefree tone never changing.

"Do-don't worry Sugu, as I told you and the rest, I have already 'sealed' that function of the…of my Aether Core. My power shouldn't do any more things without me knowing…I hope."

"You REALLY need to finish reading that manual." chastised the young kendoka with a small pout, ignoring the gamer scratching the back of his head in shame to look silently at her hands. "So…why do you think I didn't feel the physical 'effects' of this Anchor thing until now, unlike them?"

"Not sure. Maybe because the first thing the link did was physically restore their bodies? You didn't need any healing or something as extreme as they did, so maybe it somehow drew from the same modifications done to my body for each of them, as their states were similar…I wouldn't recommend you to try and bend iron or sometime anytime soon, until I fully understand how the Anchor-thing works." sighing as he finished explaining his hypotheses, Kazuto looked back to his own hands with shame. "I just wish I was confident enough with how this power works to have been able to turn you all 'back to normal' right away…"

"To be fair…I can't say I blame Asuna-san or Rika-san for not wanting you to try and do something you aren't sure about on their bodies with those powers of yours, especially after hearing of your first 'accidents' with the mini-star, Luci-san and Fuu-chan."

"You know; I almost regret not having brought Elucidator now. I mean, that way it would have been faster to convince them…"

"…now that you say it, I wonder what he and Fuu-chan are doing right now…"

"Sugu, they're a talking robo-phone and a living cat-plush. I'm pretty sure they're just sleeping or whatever already…"

In that same moment, in the Kirigaya household, the aforementioned beings were sitting on the couch and staring at the TV, Fuu making some sniffing sound as the credits of the movie they had been watching rolled down.

"Snif, that was…such a beautiful and heart-touching tale…"

"…Fuu, it was just Pinocchio. The Disney one."

"If you can say that so coldly then it means you didn't get anything of the true meaning of this movie, Luci-san! Ah…I wonder how being a real girl would be like…"

"…eh, I would prefer being a giant transforming robot. That's way cooler!"

"…I'm NEVER watching a movie with you again."

Back out in the streets, standing before a bus stop, the unsuspecting duo of siblings/cousins was still engaged in conversation about the night's events, enjoying the peaceful silence around them.

"…and it was a big surprise to know you knew the daughter of the person whose company runs ALO, Onii-chan! Even more, she confirmed that the 'surprise' they're going to add when they re-open the servers in two days will be something I loved!" excitedly commented Suguha while pumping a fist.

"Got to say, I would have never imagined you two talking and bonding over a game. It's kind of…cool, I guess." confessed Kazuto while looking to the side, a hand over his cheek as his adoptive sister looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What really surprised me was she asking if we wanted copies of the games and AmuSpheres for the 'big event', saying that any SAO Survivor would surely 'regret it if they missed it'. I mean, I now know she probably wouldn't have any problem getting them, given her family situation and that her father's company essentially developed both things, but…"

"…are you going to accept?" questioned the young kendoka with a small whisper. "I mean…I don't know much about this big surprise and update they're going to do, but…I would like to show Alfheim to you, Onii-chan. It's a…beautiful and magical place."

"I…I think so." finally answered the gamer after a short silence, in which his sister wondered with fear if she had sounded 'too childish', relief filling her at his words. "Not for the game, though. I mean, I still like games even if my 'old drive' for them seems to have died down a bit after SAO, but…to understand you better, Sugu."

"Uh? M-me…?" muttered Suguha while looking at him, idly aware of how her cheeks heated up.

"Yes. You're…very dear to me, Sugu, and I feel ashamed of the way things were between us all those years before SAO. You see, I…we…we aren't really…"

"Siblings. We're cousins, and mom adopted you after your parents died when you were just one." the young kendoka's words cut through Kazuto's hesitant declaration with the power of a deadly blade, making the boy freeze and stare at her in shock. "I…I know, Onii-chan. Mom told me not long after you…got trapped. That's…that's why you started being so cold to me, right? Because…because I wasn't really your sister…"

Suguha's speech died on her throat when a pair of strong arms closed around her, hugging the girl's body closely and almost possessively.

"No. It was because I was too much of a stupid kid to understand that knowing something didn't make all that we had lived together a lie. And it took my stupid self to be trapped fighting for my life for almost two years to mature enough to realize this." softly spoke the gamer while trying not to shake, fearful that if he let go she would run away and never come back. "No matter who our parents are, what the world says…you're still the same girl I grew together with. The same one who stood before grandfather to protect me when I didn't want to continue practicing kendo. The same one I almost lost in that fucking pond, and that caused me nightmares for weeks imagining what would have happened if I hadn't gotten you out of the water faster. And…and you're also the one who understands me the most now, Sugu. The one who has been supporting me and comforting me, and also someone that I know I can always…"

The girl leaned forward, silencing Kazuto with a kiss. The gamer's mind came to a screeching halt.

When their lips separated several seconds later, a thin trail of saliva still joining them for a moment, the boy needed several seconds to reboot his mind to realize that, at some point, he had started _kissing her back_.

As he saw the soft smile that had blossomed on the young kendoka's face, idly aware that there were blue-white 12-pointed stars shining within them, Kazuto realized this was going to be the longest and most awkward ride back home ever.

* * *

 **December 7, 2024. Yggdrasil City, Alfheim. 21:30…**

As he floated softly over the bright buildings on the magical city atop the massive 'World Tree', Kirito realized that, for once, he was totally and absolutely unable to pay any attention to the majestic wonders of the virtual world.

Even Aincrad, floating with an almost mythical light high on the sky over the land of fairies, the big 'surprise' the developers had revealed (Together with Unlimited Flight for everyone, the Sword Skill System and the chance to convert an old SAO Account into an ALO one), was unable to get his attention at all, his mind barely registering the Floating Castle where he had fought endless battles in for two years in order to survive as little more than a new and cool addition to the scenery.

And all of that was because…

"Aren't we going to go already, Onii-chan? We're supposed to meet with the others there…or were you still unsure of your flying skills and would prefer to use the Teleport Gate down there?"

Slowly turning his head at the words, the new Spriggan looked to the side to see the beautiful form of a blonde Sylph girl smiling at him, a katana at her side and her hands behind her back as she floated close to him.

However, he was still unable to look at Leafa's face without seeing Sugu's blushing one, staring at him with loving eyes…

"N-no, don't worry…let's just go and find them, o-okay?"

"Yeah, let's go!" happily replied the katana user before flying past him, Kirito following after her more like a reflex than an active reaction.

It had been two days since _that_ happened, and he was still feeling like this, not knowing what to do.

His first reaction, after he managed to get his mind working again, had been of panic and fear. Had his powers done something without his consent again? Had he somehow, through his confusing feelings and his fear of losing her after knowing she knew the truth, forced his little sister to kiss him?

The quick answer his Aether Core had supplied had been as confusing as relieving, even if also a bit terrifying on its own way: No.

And it wasn't because he didn't have the ability to do such a thing, no. In fact, when bringing up the explanation, his powers had let him known how he could read souls, break minds, bind spirits and shatter wills with just a bit of effort. Human ones were close to the bottom of the list of ones he could apparently do that to.

And knowing it had made him feel equally scared and sick. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, or so the saying went. He vowed to himself that, if he ever even _contemplated_ doing anything like that, he would throw himself at the heart of the furthest and biggest star he could think of without hesitation.

But to Sugu? He couldn't do any of that, even subconsciously, because of a simple thing: She was one of his Anchors.

It was a small failsafe, apparently, and one that made a lot of sense. Unless the status of Anchor was removed first, these couldn't be affected by the Cosmic Power of the Aether Core in any way. After all, why would the power want to risk damaging or destroying the things it was essentially using to not explode into a massive galactic devastation?

The 'slightly scary' bit, though, was that, if his powers weren't openly lying to him, his adoptive sister had kissed him until almost leaving him breathless because she _wanted_ to.

And he had _liked it._ A lot.

The 'problem', though, was that the young kendoka was acting as if nothing had happened. Well, not really. She had been smiling like it was Christmas every second ever since, and the sweetness and happiness in her words seemed limitless, but she had just talked with him and gone to school 'normally' aside from that. No effort of referencing what happened or even asking him about what he thought had been made. And that was starting to drive the gamer mad.

Didn't help the fact that, since the moment their kiss ended, the boy was able to 'feel' his connection with Suguha keenly all the time, as if something deep had shifted on the link between his Aether Core and the girl. And if he even tried to concentrate in said feeling, he would be assaulted by an indescribable sensation of warmth, of peace, of happiness and just a minuscule tinge of fear and shame.

He wasn't sure what any of it really was, but if that truly was what Suguha was feeling then maybe…

"Ah, Kirito! Over here, you two!"

"Kirito-san! Su…I mean, Leafa-san, here!"

"Kyuuu!"

Blinking and turning his attention towards the familiar voices, the gamer realized that, at some point while he was lost in thought, he and Leafa had made it halfway to Aincrad, and the familiars forms of Silica, Pina and Lisbeth were flying towards them, their new Leprechaun/Caith Sith's avatars not being that much different from their SAO ones, except by the obvious racial traits of the fairy races they had chosen to play as.

"Oh, good night you two!" greeted the blonde Sylph with her seemingly irremovable smile, flying gracefully along the two girls and showing clearly who from the group was the one that had been doing it for more than a year. "Got to say, it's both amazing and lucky how your converted SAO Avatars are almost identical to you all IRL. It must be something of a unique experience!"

"Yeah, well, let's just say that at this point it would be kind of weird for me to be in a virtual world and not see my own face in the mirror…" vaguely explained the blacksmith while waving a hand to the side. "It's an SAO thing."

"I'm just glad that Pina is still with me even when I Logged In again earlier today…" happily said the beast tamer while scratching her dragon's friend head, who chirped in response. "Though I'm not really sure if he's still out there in my room or if he 'teleported' inside here when I entered ALO…this stuff about cosmic powers is weird…"

"Well, Onii-chan's only problem was that his hair was all spiky when his account was converted, so he kind of Logged Off in a hurry just to modify that. Can you believe it?" asked Leafa with a soft laugh, making the aforementioned Spriggan to look away in shame.

"Actually, I totally can…and is there something special going on, Su…uhm, Leafa? I mean, you look extremely happy today…" commented Lisbeth while tilting her head to the side, not noticing how the only boy in the small group froze in such a way that he almost dropped mid-fly. "Is something the matter?"

"Heh, why wouldn't I be happy, Liz-san? We have gotten unlimited fly, I get to see the place where Onii-chan met you all and I have gotten an all-new battle system to try out!" exclaimed the blonde Sylph with bright cheer, obviously making reference to the Sword Skill System that had been added to ALO together with Aincrad on the recent 'Update'.

"Woah, when you put it like that, it's even more amazing for those who have been playing this game since the beginning, right?" said Silica while they finally arrived to the edge of the Floating Castle's 1st Floor, Starting City visible in the distance. "Asuna-san wasn't kidding when she said we would be in for a big surprise!"

"About that…the surprise hasn't kind of ended yet." spoke a familiar voice from behind the group, making them turn around only to be left open-mouthed as they stared in shock at the figure floating behind them. "Uhm…could you please stop with all the staring?"

Yuuki Asuna floated there, looking exactly like in the real world, even her long chestnut-colored hair, the pointy ears covered by some kind of metallic ornaments being the only thing indicating she was a fairy in there…well, that and the _massive_ and transparent wings, which dwarfed theirs several times in size, that were opened behind her, shining with an inner light. Also, the girl was wearing body-fitting white armor that covered every inch of her body sans her head, rune-like red markings covering specific parts of it, uncanny similar to the 'language' that the spells in Alfheim Online used. At her waist's side, a blue-white rapier decorated by otherworldly jewels rested silently.

What truly drew everyone's attention, however, was the shining cursor floating lazily over her head, indicating with golden words something anyone who took a look at the avatar would have at least suspected.

 **'Titania the Fairy Queen. GM.'**

"Wha…?! Are you kidding me?!" half-shouted Lisbeth while pointing towards her best friend, indignation and disbelief in her eyes. "You are a Game Master?!"

"I-it wasn't really my idea…after the suggestion I was made to do, well, _all of this_ …" the chestnut-haired girl pointed at the form of Aincrad around them, specifying what she was talking about. "…father and Kouichirou-niisama asked if I wanted to have a 'part-time job' helping out in RECT Progress from time to time, so…here I am."

It also helped that it had essentially shut her mother up about many things, given their still tense relationship since she woke up from SAO and proved not to be the 'never questioning daughter' she used to be anymore. She WAS, technically, doing something 'productive', after all. Even if it involved 'playing a game that is only a waste of time', even Yuuki Kyouko couldn't deny that Alfheim Online was one of the major successes that her husband's company had ever made (Together with the AmuSphere), not when she could see the numbers for herself. And judging by the look of things that night, just as Asuna had thought out of the blue a month ago, it was only going to become an even bigger success.

A part of her felt bad for having to do all of that just to get some heat off from herself because of her mother, but an almost bigger one felt the barely contained need of rubbing it all on the woman's face.

Trying to act like a mature person was harder than she had thought.

"You…look beautiful." softly muttered Leafa with just a small hint of envy, looking at the glowing Fairy Queen while biting her lips and subtly glancing towards her adoptive brother.

"Uh…? Yo-you're exaggerating, Suguha…I mean, Leafa-chan, i-it's not a big deal." answered Asuna while blushing slightly and finally landing besides her friends, a nervous smile on her face. "Besides, I'm planning on creating a normal account anyway, it wouldn't be actually fun to play with all the things this one has…"

"…heh, from Sub-Commander of the main guild on Aincrad's Front Line to Game Master of Alfheim. You sure have gotten one hell of a promotion, eh, 'Flash-sama'?" joked Kirito with a playful grin once he was finally able to react, making the girl scowl at the reminder of her old nickname and Lisbeth to stifle a couple of chuckles. "So, should we call you 'Titania-hime' or something while we're at it?"

"Do it and I swear I will use every power in this account to kick your cosmic-powered ass, fighting fairness be dammed." replied the Fairy Queen with an icy tone, making the Spriggan laugh nervously as he scratched the back of his head and everyone else sweatdropped. "Now come along, would you? I'm supposed to make a big speech on the center of Starting City in a couple of minutes to welcome both old and new Players into this 'new age' of the game. Ugh, and I thought I would be free of these after SAO ended…"

"Yo-you can do it, Asuna-san. Yo-you weren't one of the most famous players in Aincrad for nothing, after all." said Silica while trying to instill some confidence on the aforementioned girl. "A-and we will be there with you, if it makes you feel better!"

"Sure, why not? I can't say every day that I'm friends with the Queen of all Fairies, after all!" grinned Lisbeth while putting a hand over Asuna's shoulder, her smirk only widening as her friend looked warily at her. "Lead the way, Hime-sama!"

"…Liz, do that again and I will ban your account from using any blacksmith-related skills."

"Wha…?! You wouldn't dare!"

"Do you want to test me?!"

"Man, you're being corrupted by your new power! Why can't you learn a thing or two from Kirito here? He hasn't tried to use his super cosmic powers to savagely ravage our nubile bodies…yet!"

"WHA-?! LIZ!"

"E-eh?! Kirito-san wo-wouldn't do that…right?!"

"OF COURSE I WOULDN'T!"

"Heheh, you should see the expression on your face right now, it's totally price…!"

As the group continued bickering and walking forward…Leafa couldn't help but smile, her worries once again evaporating. Somehow, she was unable to stay worried or fearful for her feelings when in the company of the crazy group.

Idly, the girl wondered if it had something to do with the 'link' they all shared with her adopted brother or if those girls could just be that great friends.

The soft laughter she released was loud for Kirito, the one walking at the end of the group ahead, to stop and look at her, suddenly freezing as if he had remembered something.

Noticing his stare, the girl smiled warmly at him, as she had been doing for the past days, not saying anything else.

She had poured all of her feelings into that kiss, making a 'leap of faith' after hearing what he had been saying about how much she mattered to him. And he had _kissed her back_.

So, as much as it was driving her crazy not to DEMAND an answer, she was going to wait for him to take the next step. Otherwise, things could get…

"…Sugu." the Spriggan's voice came out barely above a whisper, the use of her real name drawing the Sylph's full attention towards his nervous but serious face. "We…we need to…"

Whatever the gamer wanted to say, though, was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a Message arriving to both of them. When the boy blinked and idly opened it, Leafa suddenly wished she could kill whoever had sent it.

Then she saw his eyes widening and his face paling slightly, and she realized something was wrong. Quickly opening her own Message, which she realized must have been the same he had received, the katana-user realized why he had reacted like that.

 **'** **Requiem Universus Online** **'**

 **'Come you all, brave explorers of the Omniverse, to the World of Authea, home of the Ancient Ruler Yhmos, whose Cosmic Powers are absolute. How far will you go to reach the stars?'**

 **'A VRMMORPG experience never seen before! Servers will open on December 17th…'**

Leafa stopped reading the message at that point, ignoring the links that apparently showed trailers, details and screenshots of the game in favor of staring towards the silent form of her adoptive brother, who looked back at her with wide eyes, the implications of what they had read clearly reaching him.

And as they heard the three other girls shouting their names and heading towards them, confirming that they hadn't been the only ones to receive the message, a wave of apprehension suddenly washed over the blonde Sylph.

It seemed that things weren't going to go as smoothly and peacefully as she had wished…

* * *

 **December 17th, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household, 18:55…**

"…for the umpteenth time, Kirito-kun, hear me out: This is a bad idea!"

"No Asuna, it's not bad, is stupid and maybe even dangerous, so it's exactly like something he would do."

"Ple-please, Asuna-san, Liz-san, let's try and have faith in Kirito-san, o-okay…?"

"Uhm…it's not that I mind being used for this massive-group-call, but…could you all please get this done already? Boss is obviously not going to back down." tiredly spoke Elucidator while 'scratching' his camera head, his screen-torso currently split on three sections to show Asuna, Rika and Keiko's faces.

The small phone-robot was currently sitting on Kazuto's computer's desk, the aforementioned boy besides him staring at the game box he had on hand with a small frown.

On its cover one could see the form of a planet that, unlike Earth, had much more landmass than ocean, and the 'water' on it was an ethereal emerald color. Just over it, the words 'Requiem Universus Online' could be seen written in an archaic-looking style…just over a 12-pointed star of blue-white color, with a gigantic shadow glowing among the stars on the background.

"Elucidator is right, girls. I have to do this. If…if it's what I think it is, then it could lead to something VERY dangerous if I just try to ignore it." muttered the gamer while staring intently at the box.

Five days ago, after the 'announcement' about the so-called RUO expanded through ALO and the net like a virus (And Asuna made the welcome speech much more difficult to pull off than it should have been), the boy had been quick to Log Out and try to get more info about the mysterious new game, Suguha joining him in worry as soon as she exited the game too.

There were one or two things that, maybe, one could have passed off as 'coincidences' about the lore of this 'Requiem Universus', but when put together it was obvious that it was a blatant reference to something only Kazuto, and anyone he had told, could understand.

The game's backstory talked about things Planes of Existence and Ancient Rulers, and the mechanics were based around a 'Mystery Crafting System' instead of a magical one, even if one without the right knowledge would think it was basically a fancy name for the same thing.

What made the VRMMO so unreal, though, was the sheer SIZE of it, dwarfing even Alfheim, the current largest one out in the market, and the absolutely massive scope of things it supposedly had: vehicles, living rides, all kinds of weapons (Both melee and long range), skills to develop things from fighting styles to build your own freaking battle armors…

Not to mention it opened up Quests that ranged from all fields a gamer could possibly imagine, from hunting tasks, fights against invaders from outer space, exploration of the whole planet, crafting, mechanical development or even political research.

In summary, it was something that no one could believe was possible to have been made in secret and announced with so little time, despite what was shown in the trailers on the game's website. Critics all around the internet were already telling how the thing would be a total and massive failure if it failed to deliver in even one of the aspects it had promised.

All of this, of course, had only increased the 'hype' and expectations for the game all around, not a single Japanese forum online not talking about it, at least that Kazuto had seen so far.

Of course, the problem was in that all the terms used in the game's lore were things the boy had read on the 'manual' of his Cosmic Powers, and even some things he had seen the 'titles' of but hadn't gotten to read yet, even after a month (The thing was just THAT huge), like 'Concepts of Reality' or 'Ultimate Ones' (Whatever the hell all of that was). Which could only mean two things.

Either it was the biggest coincidence ever imagined in the Universe…or the same Space God-thing that had accidently ended SAO and left its powers on his body had somehow survived and created a VRMMO with unknown and sinister purposes.

It was kind of sad, how the second thing was actually the _most likely_ _one_ to have happened.

Hence why he was now there, about to FullDive into the game that was most likely some kind of complex trap prepared by some mystic and superior entity whose comprehension was so above humanity that they must have seemed like bacteria to him.

"Let me get this straight again, just to know I'm not going crazy: You get a clue that the alien and more than likely dangerous and uncaring creature that, by your sheer dumb luck, left you with his powers after trying to possess you and freed us all from the Death Game may be still be around and doing something in another game, and you want _to get right into it to try and find it_?!" Asuna's voice threatened to throw Elucidator off the table when her shout almost overwhelmed the small phone-bot's speakers. "Why in heaven's name would you want to do that?! Don't you realize that, if it's a trap, then there is a high chance is meant for you specifically, so as to that thing can recover his powers?! Why would you put yourself at risk like…?!"

"Because if it IS that thing, as I fear, then I'm the only damn person in the world that can stop it!" shouted back the gamer with an uncanny serious tone, silencing the shocked rapier-user and stunning the other two girls. "You haven't seen the powers of that thing like I have, you can't even understand the scope at which it works, even when weakened…if it still has even a small fraction of that power then there is nothing in the whole planet that can oppose him except me using his own powers. "

"Bu-but…if it's that strong, then why is it doing this? Why hasn't it…come for you to recover its powers?" there was a clear fear in Keiko's voice as she formulated the question.

"That's what I don't know, though I can make some guesses. Maybe it's too weak to have a proper 'physical form' or maybe whatever happened to it when SAO was 'destroyed' left it too weak to do anything beyond the virtual world…" as he explained those things, the black-haired boy headed towards his new AmuSphere and carefully extracted ALO's game card from the device, putting it back on its case. "Of course, that means I could probably just ignore the whole thing by not getting anywhere near this game…but then there is THIS thing they put on their webpage…"

As he said those words, Kazuto's eyes zeroed towards the central of his computer's screens, Elucidator doing the same to stare at the finely decorated and professionally designed webpage of 'RUO'.

Concretely, the subpage shown in there was about how the new company that had created the game was freely releasing the Source Code of their game's system. Meaning that everyone who wanted and had severs that could maintain the strain could download the tools to create their own VRMMORPGs, something that had been causing a huge reaction all around the internet since early hours. Especially because, apparently, the site's creators announced that any RUO's accounts could be 'converted' from the game to any other that was created using the 'Universal Seed' (The program's name) in the future, as long as the creators didn't block such a function, and that one could even freely use accounts from other VRMMOs currently on the market to Log into the game instead of creating a new one, promising to conserve the avatar's overall appearance if one did so.

The kick was that, if what was written was to be believed, all of this was being done out of good will towards the recently finished 'SAO Incident', and it encouraged SAO Players that had recently recovered their accounts thanks to Alfheim Online to try out their game and get some special gifts if they did so. The page finished with a small message about the responsible use of VR-technology and about how people should respect everyone's freedom.

For anyone without the boy and his friend's knowledge, it would seem as just a very generous and marketing-related action. For him, though, it just seemed more like 'bait' to drag SAO Players into that world.

The gamer had consulted with Asuna, who had investigated all she could within her 'limited' authority in RECT Progress the day after ALO's reopening, and apparently the game's creators hadn't done anything 'illegal' with the whole 'compatible account' thing, as the game of fairies was free-to-play once one bought (The extra payments were only used to modify the randomly generated avatar's looks and other minor things) and the accounts belonged to the players and the players alone. There was also no proof that they had stolen any of their 'free VR-package' from Alfheim Online's data, so there wasn't anything to do about that, except the fact that the people working in the game had apparently gotten all 'fired up' about the 'competition' and wanted to try and get new ideas to continue expanding, like they had done recently bringing Aincrad, and even asked that, if the chestnut-haired girl had another similar suggestion, that she talked about it with them immediately.

The small headache that had caused Asuna aside, this had only reaffirmed Kazuto's suspicions about the whole thing: It shouldn't be possible for anyone to have made such a huge and complicated thing out of nothing…unless they weren't human.

This was the reason why the boy was doing this at all, why he had spent his meager savings on buying the relatively expensive (Considering its promised content) game.

"…you think that may be something it's doing to attract SAO Players to the game while searching for you." summarized Asuna while biting her lips. "And you don't want others to possibly get hurt because of it."

"That's my boss for you!" chirped Elucidator while raising one of his tiny hands. "He's not scared of facing off against this God-whatever just to protect innocent people!"

"Yeah…Kirito-san is just like that…like a Hero…" softly muttered Keiko while remembering when she met the boy.

"I…I guess he sometimes does act like that, doing reckless things to help others…" added Rika while remembering the boy catching her mid-fall and saving her life after she stupidly fell inside that dragon's cave.

"…are we talking about the same Kirito here?" questioned Asuna with a raised eyebrow. She hadn't really ever had an encounter with the 'stupidly heroic side' of the boy.

She had had many with the overconfident and the stupid sides of him, though, and maybe just a bit of heroic when he managed to bluff his way out of a deadly situation with Laughing Coffin when they investigated together the whole 'Murder Case inside the Area' thing, but nothing on the level the other two had.

It probably said something about her, that she had still gotten a crush for the boy by almost always seeing his 'less relatable' side. If that was good or bad, though, was up for debate.

"Thanks for your confidence, Asuna, but I'm being serious here: I'm going." finished Kazuto while putting Requiem Universus Online side his AmuSphere, letting the game start installing. "I have to do this. I…I wouldn't forgive myself if someone got hurt or worse by that thing because of me…"

The image of a certain guild shot through the gamer's mind for an instant. Of a girl with black-blue hair that he had failed to protect…

"But…!"

"Best leave him be, girls. I have been trying to convince him of the contrary for days now and he's not backing down." informed a slightly downcast Suguha while entering the room, carrying Fuu on her arms. "Onii-chan is too stubborn for his own good."

"Suguha-chan…" Asuna guiltily looked away from her phone, the thought of how the girl that had just been watching her brother in a coma for two years would be feeling compared to her, who had interacted with his carefree self without that horrible visage since she knew him. "…still, you could wait just a day more or so, you know? I told you I can also get the game in that time, and you could use the backup in case anything goes wro…!"

"Asuna, the servers came online a couple hours ago. Every second I delay this it's more likely that something can happen to someone who doesn't have anything to do with this. Besides, the AmuSphere doesn't have anything dangerous like the Nerve Gear did, remember?" finished the boy while sitting on his bed, looking silently at the FullDive device before sending a wry smile towards his sister. "And Sugu will be here the whole time, so she can just take it off my head in case anything bad does happen."

"Yeah, because that makes me feel so much better…" bitterly whispered the young kendoka while looking towards her adoptive brother.

To be honest, the girl's mood was in equal parts worry for what the boy was about to do and frustration because this whole thing had totally put off his mind the fact that they had yet to talk about the 'kiss' of the other day. And she felt really guilty every time she realized that last and selfish thought appeared on her mind.

"If it eases your worries, I can keep up the call going so as to you know firsthand if something happens!" informed Elucidator while jumping towards the bed, bouncing a couple of times when landing. "After all, I'm hacking an internet app to do this anyway, so boss isn't losing any money over it!"

"…you know, I would normally question how your talking phone (Something I STILL have trouble believing even after seeing it a couple days ago) can even do that, but I will forget the obviously sane question in favor of saying this." a single second of silent passed before Rika's voice echoed again, filled with worry and sincerity. "…be safe, Kirito."

"Do-don't overdo it, Kirito-san!" added Keiko with her own preoccupation.

"…I have seen you fight too many times. I know you can take care of yourself normally…but this situation isn't normal in the slightest, so I'm with them: Take care of yourself, Kirito-kun." finished Asuna with almost a whisper.

Suguha suppressed a sigh of resignation at the scene. After days of interacting with the girls, it was more than obvious for the young kendoka that they too felt _something_ for her adopted brother…but none of them had been the one to kiss him first, so…

"Good luck, Onii-chan." said the girl while hugging him from behind, surprising the boy and almost making him drop the AmuSphere. "Stay safe."

Idly, Suguha wondered how the girls at the other side of the line would have reacted if they could see the way in which Kazuto's face lit up like a Christmas tree at the gesture, even as Elucidator 'subtly' started to record the whole thing.

How it could do it without interrupting the call was just another of the strange mysteries that his 'transformation' seemed to entail.

"I-I will…seriously, stop worrying so much, everyone…" lamely finished the gamer before carefully getting out of his adoptive sister's arms and putting on the FullDive device as he lay on the bed. "…I'm only going to see if there is something strange and investigate a bit, but if I don't come out in two hours, take off the AmuSphere, okay?"

"…will do, Onii-chan." nodded Suguha one last time with a worried expression, which was mirrored by the rest of the girls in their own homes as the gamer recited the words they all knew all too well.

"Link Start!"

A wave of colors and a simple 'New Account/Transfer Account' screen later, Kirigaya Kazuto's consciousness completely left his body to sink into the virtual world.

And atop a floating palace, the eyes of a bespectacled girl with orange hair widened as another of many screens lit up, the 'SAO Account Detected!' warning they had programmed sending an extra match not seen until then.

Not missing a beat, Tomoe stood up and opened a new window, calling for all her sisters and their 'Father' at the same time.

"A 90% match to the likely description just appeared."

"So…it's him?"

"You tell us, Father."

"…I will be dammed. I can't forget that face no matter how much I try…that's the boy. It actually worked."

"That's all I needed to hear. Everyone, remain on standby. Tomoe-chan, monitor and inform us if he does anything 'strange' that indicates he's using Papa's powers. Strea, Haru, come with me. We will bring that thief before Papa!"

"Hai, Yui-nee!"

* * *

The first thing Kirito became aware of the moment he materialized on an ample plaza surrounded by futuristic-looking buildings wasn't the impressive and unreal city that surrounded him.

It was the sky.

Like something out of some sci-fi movie, the black/purple void filled with countless stars, many of them of 'unnatural' colors, was a view that any normal person would find themselves entranced by. In fact, the black-haired boy was idly aware of some other players near him doing the same, staring at the heavens with wonder.

As a small part of his mind remembered having read on the game's lore that the view was like that even in the fully illuminated city because the planet's atmosphere was radically different than Earth's, the gamer finally tore his gaze away in favor of surveying the area.

He only got even more dumbfounded at doing so.

Gigantic buildings surrounded the view everywhere, way too many of them dwarfing even the tallest structures of Alfheim (Not counting the World Tree), and not a single one seemed 'copy/pasted' in the slightest, details, 'ports', shops and more filling everything around in ways that, realistically, should have taken many months to make, maybe over a year.

Kirito recalled having read that, besides the main 'big supermarket-like shops' of the planet's cities, the location of any normal 'shop' wasn't indicated in the main maps, and that no two of them offered the same services or sold the same items. He remembered the massive skepticism in the forums surrounding this fact, but also a massive amount of excitement if it indeed was actually truth.

The number and types of weapons and equipment in the game was supposedly massive, if the game's guide was to be believed, and that was without mentioning vehicles, personal, Party and Raid-sized ones. And all of it was supposed to be highly customizable too.

Looking at it all now from there, the gamer had little trouble believing it. The amount of things he was seeing, if it all was even a fraction of detailed as it seemed from there, was absurd. And this supposedly was just a part of one city in _an entire planet_.

Quickly shaking his head and reminding himself why he was supposed to be there, Kirito looked down at himself, seeing he was wearing what seemed like a plain, standard and futuristic-looking 'uniform' in grey and white, with no visible weapons on him. Frowning slightly at that, the boy opened his menu to look over the supposed initial equipment.

 _'SAO Account Detected! Congratulations for buying this game, dear Player. We, the staff of Requiem Universus Online, would like to congratulate for not letting your previous experience shy you away from the virtual world, and wish you the best with this special gift.'_

The boy was still blinking in surprise at hearing the pre-recorded female voice when a sudden burst of polygons covered his body. Shocked, the gamer saw that he was now wearing a familiar-looking black long-coat, even if the design and materials it was seemingly made of had changed to suit the futuristic and alien setting of the game he was in now, the 'uniform' under it also having turned a jet-black color.

Even more shocking, though, were the two items that now rested on his inventory window before him, which he was quick to equip and unsheathe from his back to take a look at.

Elucidator and Dark Repulser 'stared' back at him, both blades' overall design having changed to a more futuristic one, but still looking familiarly enough for Kirito to recognize as his old swords. Also, a huge amount of Solarians, RUO's currency, was suddenly where his meager initial amount had been moments before. The exact same amount of Col he had had in SAO before it ended.

 _"Holy…! Oh yeah, this is a trap for SAO Players, alright. I mean, what kind of gamer would resist something like this?"_ thought the black-haired boy as his mind raced.

Thanks to the way in which the internet worked, it would only take hours for someone anonymous to publish that any SAO Account that got converted into the game got both all of their old money and adapted versions of their original gear back as 'gifts'. While it wouldn't convince everyone, once that piece news got out it would certainly made a huge chunk of the Death Game's survivors to want and try it out, be it just to see their 'old selves' again or because they still loved gaming and the idea of having such impressive advantage was too tempting.

Crossing his arms, now more convinced than ever that this was indeed a trap to lure him there, the gamer was wondering what his next course of action should be when he heard a very familiar voice behind him.

"Well, look who I here too! Then again, I think it shouldn't surprise me that much." spoke a grinning Klein while looking at the surprised boy, who turned around to see the bandana-wearing young man giving him a thumbs-up. "Hey there Kirito! It's good to see you around in this place, I was feeling a bit lonely as my pals from Fuurinkazan couldn't buy the game yet…"

"Klein?!" half-shouted Kirito while looking at his friend, noticing that his futuristic armor still retained the samurai-like style he had been aiming for back in SAO and that his katana now seemed to be a big larger and wider, some strange designs covering the handle. "You are playing this?!"

"Duh, of course I am! I mean, have you SEEN this place?! It's fucking awesome! And when they said SAO Survivors would get quite the generous gift, they weren't kidding!" raising his weapon, there was an almost childish glint on Klein's eyes as he contemplated something. "I'm going to try and find where to make a hybrid weapon ASAP to fuse my katana with a plasma shotgun!"

"…why the hell would you do that?" flatly asked the gamer with a blank face, momentarily forgetting what he was supposed to do.

Certainly, he had read up that bit about the ability to create combined weapons, as long as they were compatible, among the many features the game had, but in his opinion the idea sounded…kind of impractical, not to mention silly.

"What do you mean with 'why'?! Because a katana-shotgun is like, the more badass version of a gun-blade!" explained the man in red as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I won't truly be a 'Cosmic Samurai' until I have one!"

"Of couuuuurse, Klein, that sounds great. Why don't you try to create something like a scythe-rifle while you are at it?" sarcastically questioned the boy while trying to resist the urge to facepalm. "Ugh, look, sorry for sounding like a jerk, but I really don't have time for this now, I need to…"

"Ah…there you are." suddenly echoed an unknown voice, making both players to freeze and turn around.

Three impressive and clearly important figures floated not far from them, having already started to draw attention from several of the Players in the area, who were pointing at them with shocked/curious looks.

It could have been because the one at the right was wearing what Kirito thought an 'Infinite Stratos' would look like if it was truly designed for war and not an armor clearly meant for fanservice, the design of the mechanic red/gold exoskeleton the girl was wearing seeming clearly deadly with the mace-like 'claws' or the blade-like 'wings' it had, not to mention the several pieces of long-range armament it had over herself. It still exposed a bit of the girl's figure in quite a 'lewd' way, though.

The gamer was betting, though, that most of the looks were probably aimed to the girl on the left, as even he felt himself blushing after staring at her. Not only was she beautiful and slightly more 'well-endowed' than his adoptive sister, but she was also wearing what amounted to the futuristic version of a 'chainmail bikini', the massive blade on her back and her cheerfully curious smile seeming at total odds with her looks.

Even so, the boy found his attention drawn quickly to the one on the middle of the trio. While the one with the futuristic armor was floating clearly thanks to her equipment and the one with the huge…sword was doing so thanks to a strange metallic disk under her feet, there was apparently no piece of technology keeping the princess-like girl of long ebony hair on the air except for the otherworldly white glow surrounding her. Unlike the other two, who had red eyes, her eyes were of a deep black and seemed to be trying to pierce his avatar to stare right into his soul. Despite being the less menacing-looking of the three, something immediately told Kirito that she was the most powerful one.

 **'Haru, Ancient Princess of Justice'**

 **'Strea, Ancient Princess of War'**

 **'Yui, Ancient Princess of the Stars'**

Such were what the shining cursors over their heads proclaimed, the gamer recognizing easily as the marks of GMs after having seen Asuna's own Super Avatar less than a week ago. He was still trying to make sense of the sudden presence of 3 Game Masters there when he felt Klein touching his shoulder.

Turning to the side, the boy was unable to resist the urge to groan as he saw the goofy and almost-drooling smile on his old friend's face as he looked towards the girls.

"Kirito…this may be the greatest game ever…"

"Klein, please, I don't think that they will appreciate much that you say those thi…"

"Hmm…weird, I always imagined you more…shady? Evil-looking? But you're actually pretty cute!" suddenly interrupted Strea while floating to Kirito's side and touching his cheek, making him take a step back in surprise even as the katana-user gaped towards the scene. "Heeey, Haru, are you sure we got the right guy? It's not this other, scrubby-looking, one?"

"Positive, Strea-nee." nodded Haru while the gamer winced at the critical hit Klein's self-esteem seemed to have taken at the revealingly-dressed one's words. "Tomoe-chan confirmed it with Father and the ID matches. That one is 'Kirito', the one we're searching for."

"Please, come with us, Kirito-san." softly spoke Yui with a gentle voice, smiling brightly at the boy. "Our Father would like to meet you."

Kirito's blood ran cold as the implications behind those words hit him, things becoming painfully clear.

'Ancient Princesses'. Daughters of the Ancient Ruler and governors of the world, following the game's lore. He hadn't thought anything else about it when reading that.

Now, though, seeing the 'Game Masters' in front of him made it obvious that maybe the words had been more than just simple made-up lore. Even if they weren't really that thing's daughters, the girls before him clearly were working for the 'Ancient Ruler' and…

His frantic train of thought, however, was suddenly interrupted when someone grabbed him by the neck of his coat and dragged him away, the action so unexpected that Yui didn't even react to stop it before the gamer found himself being manhandled by his red-headed friend.

"How?! How the hell do you do it?! You can't have been in this place for more than an hour and yet you already have 3 hot girls wanting you to meet their father!" screaming at the 'unfairness of the world', Klein didn't seem to care that he was making a scene in a suddenly very crowded place. "What is your secret, man?! Please, you have to tell me! We're pals, right?!"

"No-now, Klein, stop being silly, please…" said the sweatdropping boy…while subtly moving his hand to open his menu. "You're being unreasonable and making a scene for no rea…"

His menu didn't open. Kirito cursed, his gaze flickering towards the figure of Yui, who was once again floating besides the duo.

"I'm sorry, but we're kinda in a hurry, you know?" said the princess before 'subtly' touching the gamer's shoulder.

Both of them became a beam of white light that shot to the heavens, towards the imposing palace that floated above the capital city, leaving just a blinking and confused Klein behind.

"…okay then, that's all for now, folks! This was a special event, so everyone here now has a 50% discount in ALL shops in the game for the next hour!" suddenly proclaimed Strea while turning to look at the confused players, whose eyes lit up at her words. "If I were you I would hurry, finding what you want in time won't be easy!"

Those words said, the scantily dressed girl shot upwards at uncanny speeds too, a squeaking Haru following after her.

Staring upwards, Klein allowed himself a couple more seconds to curse his friend's 'luck'. Then, he blinked and started to run, eager to find the place where hybrid weapons were made.

He had a 50% discount to take advantage of, after all!

"S-Strea-nee, wait for me!" shouted the girl in the futuristic 'battle-armor' while flying after her older sister. "D-do you even have the right to give that discount to all those players?"

"Nope, but I'm sure Tomoe-chan won't mind doing that for me, right?"

"A-already done, Nee-san!" informed the other AI through a holo-screen, seeming proud of herself. "Also, Yui-nee just arrived with the thief, hurry here!"

"…wait, why are we flying back?! Tomoe, teleport us!" demanded Haru with an annoyed look.

"…oh yeah, I forgot we could do that." added while sticking out her tongue.

Meanwhile, up on the floating palace known as 'Astemeri', the white beam of energy crashed into a certain room, letting Yui materialize perfectly upright and Kirito to stumble down to the ground.

The Ancient Princess was truly surprised, though, when the gamer used his momentum to roll forward, unsheathe both blades on his back and end up in a defensive stance, staring at her with cold and calculating eyes.

"Let me Log Out. Now." demanded him with an icy voice.

"…impressive. I guess you're not a SAO Survivor for nothing, uh?" neutrally commented the white-clad girl while tilting her head. "But I'm sorry to say I can't let you do that."

"Oh yeah? Well…I can be very persuasive, you know?!" shouted the boy as he shot forward with deadly speed, swinging both his blades with enough precision to throw the girl away…

And he suddenly found himself being catapulted to the opposite side of the massive room, crashing against a wall hard enough for the 'Immortal Object' screen to pop up and them fall down to the ground face-first, letting go of his swords in the process.

"…uh?" was all that the stunned Kirito could say as he slowly raised his head, finding a massive 'tip' of rainbow-colored energy an inch from his face.

Yui had, at some point, wielded the strange and empty 'handle' that hung at her side…only that now it was projecting a gigantic blade of chaotic solid energy that seemed to fickle with every single color that could be perceived by imagination. Also, it was at least three times the girl's size, but she had still swung it faster than he could react without seemingly any effort.

"This is Nephilim, the Nebula-Slayer. Its design is based off Father's old weapon, and it's also the strongest weapon in the game." casually letting the blade of planetary energy vanish once again into the handle, the Ancient Princess crossed her arms under her breasts and pouted towards the gamer in a very childish way. "With that said, I hope you don't make me use it to do that again."

"Ugh, you don't understand! Whatever that thing has promised you, it's not worth this!" tried to reason the boy while standing up, his eyes fixed upon Yui's floating form. "The power it wields goes way beyond anything we can imagine, and…!"

"You're wasting your breath, human. She's not like you." suddenly spoke an ancient and powerful voice, making Kirito freeze and the white-clad girl to turn to the side with a soft smile. "My daughters are artificial beings made of data, and they won't betray me no matter what you tell them."

On cue, both Strea and Haru appeared in the room, looking around for a moment before starting to head in their direction, one with a 'serious' look and the other with a carefree smile.

Ignoring them, the gamer let his eyes fix upon the darkened part of the area, which suddenly had been illuminated by lighting-like energy shooting everywhere.

A new girl, looking a bit younger than the others, was visible amidst the chaos, her hair orange, a mechanical backpack on her back and wearing glasses, the cursor over her head identifying her as **'Tomoe, Ancient Princess of Wisdom'** , but the boy's attention was fixed on the figure sitting on the 'throne', from where the chaotic energy was coming from.

"Father." came Haru's voice as she kneeled, her mecha-armor somehow adjusting itself to not stop her from doing so. "We have brought him."

"Indeed you have. And you, boy…this is the first time we actually talk, but not the first I see you." spoke the imposing figure while standing up, slowly walking into the light. "I'm Yhmos, last of the Ancient Rulers… **and I want my powers back.** "

Kirito, for his part, couldn't even move as he stared at the tall figure emerging, his voice filling with some ethereal power and authority as the last words were uttered, and his horribly shocked reaction was…

"…when did Captain Commander Yamamoto become a Jedi?"

The BGM of the room came to a screeching halt at the gamer's words (Literally, as Tomoe had been manipulating it for dramatic effect, and she facefaulted at hearing him). All traces of the 'epic and menacing vibe' lost, Yhmos loudly groaned and double-facepalmed, even as Haru gapped and Strea burst out laughing.

Yui simply blinked several times and stared at the boy as if he had grown a second head.

"Ahahah…God…he actually said that!" it was lucky that Strea was an AI, because if she actually needed to breathe she would have already died from laughter-induced lack of oxygen. "Hahahah…! Ma-maybe we should have taken into account the fact…that he may have seen…those series/movies before, ahahah…!"

"To be honest…I was sure that the knowledge of being before a being so beyond human understanding like Papa would make him forget such things…" admitted the oldest of the MHCPs while putting a hand on her cheek. "We-were my psychological calculations mistaken…?"

"No, Yui-neesama…I think the guy is just too weird, that must be it!" vehemently assured the one wearing the mechanical exoskeleton.

"I…somehow, I'm not surprised." lamented the Ancient Ruler while shaking his head, letting himself fall back on his throne as if extremely tired. "It seems I grew used to this randomness at some point in the last months…"

The gamer simply STARED, confusion and shock giving way to incredulity and absolute disbelief.

He had been ready to face against a being that his mind would probably not fully understand, to find himself overwhelmed by a mind so vastly superior to his that he felt like a primitive animal, an entity whose concepts of things were otherworldly different when compared to his…

Instead, he was having trouble ignoring the laughing Strea rolling on the ground and trying to not pay attention to how Tomoe was panicking as she tried to remember how to put the room's BGM back in automatic, even as one of the other 2 'sisters' tried to convince the oldest one that she was perfect and the 'error' in her prediction was _his_ fault.

All the while the supposed 'Alien God' was slowly moving his head from side to side and still having his hands over his face.

"…are you really the thing that gave me these powers?" finally asked the boy while trying to keep a straight face, everyone's attention turning to him.

"Yes! I mean, no! I never wanted to 'give you' my powers, it was a fucking accident!" growled Yhmos before looking down. "An accident that I still have no fucking idea how could have happened…I swear, it almost seemed like a joke of Fate, but that would have been impossible…"

"There, there, everyone makes mistakes, Papa!" tried to cheer him up Yui by floating at his side and patting his bald head.

"…thanks, Yui." muttered Yhmos with a tired voice.

"…okay, yeah, this is totally not what I was expecting." deadpanned Kirito while watching the scene.

"Wha-what you were expecting means nothing to us, thief!" quickly shouted Haru while pointing at him, her claw-hammers making the gesture truly menacing…even if her flustered face totally killed that impression. "Just return Father's powers, now!"

"…no, I don't think I will." plainly replied the gamer while everyone froze, the Ancient Ruler sighing before glaring at him, nascent suspicion in his head grow.

"I think you don't understand your situation at all, boy." growled Yhmos before standing again, arcane power covering his form as he pointed once again towards the now unfazed boy. "That wasn't a question. It was an order."

"No, it was a demand. And I politely refuse to do so." studying the way in which everyone reacted, from Yui's outraged face to how Strea no longer laughed and glared his way, the suspicion became dawning realization on Kirito's mind. "Sweet Gods of Gamers…you have _no fucking way_ of actually forcing me to return your powers, right? You're THAT weak now, and had to do all of this exactly because of that!"

"Do-don't be silly, you thief!" quickly said the oldest of the AIs while glaring at him. "We, uhm…we can still force you to give them back to Papa! Tomoe, prepare the Death Ray!"

"Death Ray ready!" shouted the bespectacled girl while pushing a button, making a part of the ceiling open and a big-ass and deadly-looking energy weapon to lower and aim itself at the gamer. "How do you like that, thief?!"

"…and besides making me lose my HP and forcing me to Respawn, is that thing going to do anything 'serious' to me?" the nervous silence that greeted him actually made the black-haired boy chuckle, then released a full-blown laugh. "…hahah…God, this is rich! Yo-you really made all of this super-complex plan, created what's probably the most awesome game ever seen, just to drag me here before you…but didn't think of anything beyond that! Wha-what were you expecting, that I would just hand over my body and life if you a-asked nicely?!"

"…on hindsight, I saw this coming from the beginning, but everyone's excitement blinded me to the fact that yes, we have no actual way of forcing you to return my powers." groaned Yhmos while facepalming again, even as his daughters exchanged panicking looks and Kirito LAUGHED even harder, so much he seemed about to cry. "Oh, stop that, you damn human kid! We can still torture you by lowering the game's Pain Absorber, you know?!"

"Ah, that could actually be bad…yeah, too bad I'm wearing an AmuSphere and not a Nerve Gear, right? Which automatically disconnects me if it detects something wrong with my body? And that I also have a bunch of cosmic powers to heal whatever actual harm I end up taking?" the new wave of awkward silence only made the gamer laugh even harder. "AHAHAHAH…!"

"Hey, stop that, now you're just being mean!" cried Tomoe as the boy's legs failed him and he fell to his knees laughing. "E-even if we didn't plan this through, it's still not a reason for you to laugh at us like that!"

"N-no, yo-you don't get it…I'm laughing from re-relief, ahahahah…" wheezed the boy while trying to stand, making all of them blink. "I-I thought for sure I was going to get into some dangerous shit o-or maybe e-even have a small cha-chance of dying or something for sure! I even lied to my sister and friends telling them I was in no risk at all, when I knew that, if you still had even a small bit of power I could pretty much be screwed…but it turns out you hadn't even made a proper plan, ahahahah…!"

"I…I think he's having a nervous breakdown…" muttered an uneasy Haru while looking from the cackling Kirito to her family. "Tha-that's not good…"

"Ye-yeah, we got to calm him down before he snaps or something, h-he could destroy the planet by mistake with Papa's powers!" panicked Yui under the suffering gaze of Yhmos, quickly pointing to the oldest of her sisters. "Strea-nee, calm him down!"

"On it, Yui-nee!" shouted Strea before giving a military salute and then marching towards the laughing gamer, unceremoniously grabbing him and burying his head between her breasts, making him freeze. "There, there, calm down, everything is okay now…"

"…remind me again, did we ever consider while putting together this plan that you were all programmed for human understanding and a basic nature to not harm humans?" idly wondered the Ancient Ruler while discovering that it was still possible to have a headache despite being made of data.

"Ehm…I think we may have glossed over that tiny detail with how excited we were about getting things done…" muttered Haru while watching her older sister smothering the life out of their 'enemy'. "Uhm…Strea-nee? I…I think he's okay already, you can let him go…"

"Aww…but I like him, just look how cute he is!" protested the girl in the absurdly revealing armor while finally freeing the gasping boy from her 'hold', his face burning red as he tried to get some virtual air down his inexistent virtual lungs. "Papa, Yui-nee, can I keep him after he returns the powers? Please?"

"Li-like hell…and I'm not returning any powers, dammit!" shouted Kirito while backing away, making a point to not look toward Strea. "As many problems as they may cause, I'm NOT letting a being that was about to take over my comatose body without care to get back his galaxy-destroying energy, and that's final!"

"The-then we're going to keep you trapped here!" quickly tried to threaten Yui while raising the handle of Nephilim, ignoring the way in which Haru was trying to ask for Strea to give her 'a hug like the human boy' too. "Maybe we can't torture you in the physical sense, but we have more than enough knowledge of the human psyche to get you to surrender Papa's powers back to us!"

"Oh…good luck with that, pretty-face, my little sister is going to take off my AmuSphere in over an hour anyway, so try your best till then." shrugged the gamer while sitting down on the ground before the deadpanning looks of most of the 'family', an easygoing smile on his face. "…soooo…what do you guys do around here to pass the time? Play card games? Design new updates for games? Make half-assed plans that have way too many ho…?"

With an angry scream, Yhmos shot a beam of rampaging energy towards the black-haired boy, disintegrating him and leaving only a 'Disconnection' message in his place.

"…it's official. I **hate** that boy with all my heart."

"Kuh…! Don't worry Papa! We know who he is now, and we can hack his data IRL from the list I have of the SAO Survivors! He will not get away with this!" promised Yui while raising a hand.

"Indeed, we will keep him under surveillance all the time!" added Strea while raising her own arm, a cheerful smile and a strange glint on her face. "…can I be the one doing most of the 'surveillance', by the way?"

The Ancient Ruler just groaned loudly.

He really shouldn't have tried to conquer anything beyond his galaxy…

Meanwhile, on the real world, Kirigaya Suguha screamed when her brother shot upright on his bed with a loud yell, Elucidator squeaking in surprise and falling off when the shouts of the worried girls still at the line's other side came from his speakers.

"That motherfucker actually turned off the Pain Absorber, fuck!" shouted Kazuto while taking off his AmuSphere, an annoyed look on his face that quickly turned into a weird smile. "…I regret nothing of those last words, though. The looks on their faces were fucking priceless…"

"Onii-chan?!" the young kendoka's shout finally made the gamer remember where he was now, though he wasn't ready for her almost throwing herself at him as she shouted, scared. "Are you hurt?! Did something happen?! What…?!"

"Sugu, calm down!" shouted the black-haired boy while gripping his adoptive sister's shoulders, stopping her worried rant. "I'm okay, see? Nothing is wrong, nothing bad happened to me. Breathe."

"I…I'm sorry, it's just…" trembling, Suguha's hold on him tightened, even as she looked at him with shining eyes. "I…I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you again…"

Suddenly, Kazuto could _feel it_. Through the bond of cosmic energy that connected them, what made her one of his 'Anchors', he felt the crushing sadness and fear, the terror her heart and soul felt at the idea of him being 'gone' again.

Gone like he had been in Sword Art Online, she having to see his body waste away every day on that hospital bed…

It was a terribly sad feeling…but also a beautiful one, for the gamer could feel all the warmness and caring from where such worry and fear were born. All of it aimed at him.

All of it meant only for him…

"Su…Sugu…" whispered the boy as he caressed one of her cheeks, idly aware of how she was inching closer to him.

"Onii-chan…" replied the girl while her face flushed red, slowly closing the distance between herself and the boy she loved once aga…

"Ehm, boss?" came Elucidator's voice all of the blue, killing the moment and almost making both siblings fall to the ground squeaking when they saw the small robo-phone 'climbing' back on the bed. "Sorry to interrupt, but the call was kind of cut off by accident when I fell off and the other girls are calling like crazy, so I wanted to know if I should tell them to call later or…"

"Ju-just accept the calls already, yo-you idiot!"

"Ye-yeah, the-they must be very worried!"

"…Luci-chan, you totally ruined their moment!"

"E-eh?! Fuu?! What did I do?!"

Amidst the small chaos in which his room suddenly became, and aware that Suguha was still 'subtly' holding his hand, a simple thought that pretty much summarized the day's events assaulted Kazuto's mind.

 _"…that was the most disappointing 'Final Boss' ever."_

And somewhere in Requiem Universus Online, Yhmos felt the need to curse a certain boy once again…

* * *

 **Lesson 4** **:** _Unforeseen circumstances may make Cosmic Entities much less cooler than we imagine._

* * *

 **Next** **:** STAR HUNTERS

* * *

 **Omake: The Great One's Chronicles 3**

 _Ugh…Tomoe-chan here…sorry everyone, I'm a bit distracted today with what happened, so I think this will be my last entry for a while. Besides, most of what Father has told me has already been used to create RUO, so I don't know why I keep making these notes, but…let's talk about one last thing that I got him to tell me, about his race and about something he had long ago when he was still young…_

The Ancient Rulers

My race. My brethren. What can I say about them? It's pointless, really, as now not a single one remains except me, and given my current state…but I suppose it can't hurt to leave one last record about us. About what we were.

There are infinite Multiverses within the Omniverse. And at the same time, there are infinite Universes within a Multiverse. In one such as these Universes, at the very beginning of all, We were born.

My ancestors were older than the stars themselves, and were there to see the very first planets form. I myself, despite my long age, am nothing compared to what they were.

As ones born at the beginning of the cosmos, it was only natural that the Rulers were in perfect sync with it. A part of the Universe itself was born within us, fueling us with the power that created everything around us.

The first of us calling these sources of power 'Aether Cores'. And the power used to craft small part of the Universe into anything we needed, that would be adopted by the lesser race at some point, even if never at our level, we called it 'Mysteries'.

I was the Last One, in more ways than one. Of 12 siblings, the last generation of our once glorious race, I was the last to be 'born'. The youngest one.

When the 'war' started, I was the one everyone thought would fall first. When the once peaceful and tranquil surface of Authea was devastated by the wish to achieve our Full Potential, I was the one no one thought would survive.

They were all wrong. I bested my siblings, ended them. Absorbed their Aether, took over their resources. Reached the Cosmic Level, like our ancestors. I proved to be the strongest…at the cost of all their lives, and those of my Anchors.

It's almost funny…back then, when I was rebuilding Authea with my newly evolved powers, when I was raising sunken landmasses and restoring life, putting the bases for the cities where my servants would live, I didn't feel even an ounce of regret about my actions.

Now, though, looking at the illusion of all of that now gone glory that I have 'rebuilt' with my 'daughters', I can't help but wonder what would have happened…if we had worked together instead of turning against each other.

If we had been more like what I have learned a Family is supposed to be…

Anchors

The concept of an Anchor as explained here is something that belongs only to us Ancient Rulers and, as such, no longer has a meaning, as no new ones will be born…but I guess I still want to leave a record of this.

Anchors are, essentially, specific points of Reality to which our Aether Cores connect from within the pocket universes inside our existences, to keep themselves 'stable'. They're basically safeties, because, on our youngest time, after we're born, we Ancient Rulers don't have full control over our powers.

The full-powered Aether Core of one of our newborns, if it went out of control, has enough power to wipe out half a galaxy. Hence why Anchors were so important to us, as they allowed our Cores to keep a connection with the physical world without being actively used.

Anything can be made into an Anchor, but, for obvious reasons, its best if the chosen one is a living being, or at least something that can interact with the world, fight and protect itself. Also, the stronger an Anchor is, the better, as suddenly losing one could be catastrophic.

In my time, back before the War between me and my siblings, I used to have 3 Anchors.

I found Nephilim in an old planet covered by burning fields at the edge of our galaxy, the powerful beast a sight to behold. Authea was an entity of fire and ice, which happened to travel through our system by chance during my search. Astemeri was a 'machine', or at least an old artifact of metal and mystic power, powerful and able to think, but with no real soul or emotions.

They were my Anchors. My first servants. My loyal vessels. When I fought my siblings, and I was still the only one young enough to still NEED Anchors, they fought by my side, never giving me their backs.

Some of my siblings had, at some point, beings they considered close friends as their Anchors. Some even had lovers from other Races turned into this.

I never considered mine as more than tools, a means to an end. In that war that spanned over a millennium, I never once felt anything when they fell, one by one.

It was only later that I realized, I had kept them around despite having no longer need of them at some point. That I had renamed my planet, my palace and my sword after them.

Nowadays, I know that I miss the three beings, but nothing I do will bring them back. [DEATH] won't return any of the first two no matter what, and even if I built another being identical to Astemeri it just wouldn't be 'her'.

It may be for the best, though. After all, there is a reason why Anchors are meant to be temporary, why having them at my side was a small edge against my siblings in a 'psychological' way too.

Our true Cosmic Powers are things that mere physical vessels cannot fully sustain. This is why our ancestors cast away their original bodies and built new ones out of powerful materials from the stars. This is what I myself did, at some point, though I still maintained a link with my original body before it was destroyed in the 'last stand' of my Universe. This is because we're, in the end, beings of raw power and essence, much more than simple flesh and blood or even metal and elements can resist.

Anchors, however, don't have the same ability we have, as they are lesser beings unable to survive without a physical body. And they have a direct connection with our Aether Cores, which allows them to subconsciously drawn energy from them if they need it…until the point their physical forms cannot handle the strain anymore.

This is what happened to Nephilim, my first Anchor. He drew too much of my power in a fight and it destroyed his body, the beast at least sacrificing itself to give me one last victory, redirecting the explosion of his own self against my brother.

No matter what, Anchors, in the end, aren't meant to last as long as us…

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, that was that, folks, the 'epic' season finale XD! Okay, but seriously, was anyone expecting an awesome battle or something? Because, well, yeah, you have been trolled if that was the case :P

Back to the matter at hand, though, this was it. This was the last chapter of the 'Introductory Arc'. All the base points needed for the story to actually move forward have been introduced, except for the last and most 'important' one, which will be shown next, in the short Interlude between arcs (That hopefully won't take anywhere near as long as this chapter to come out).

And no, there is still no catfight around the corner. It's not going to happen. Really. It's not as if there is anything happening that could trigger it, not at all… _(_ _ **B/N:**_ _I feel trolled. No, really. You told me you were planning that around one and a half month ago, only to read this. You damn troll…*rolls eyes in disdain*)_

Well then, not much more to say this time, except that I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter and that you all have a good day. See you all next chapter. _(_ _ **B/N:**_ _I do. Hi!)_

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	6. Interlude: STAR HUNTERS

**IMPORTANT:** Here is an announcement to all One Punch-Gamer fans among you, my dear readers. Good friend and also reader, Apex85, recently wrote and uploaded, after asking me to if he could some time ago, his own lemon one-shot of the 'scene' between Kirito, Leafa and Asuna that was 'cut off' (Because I suck at writing that kind of scenes XP) from the Epilogue OwO If you're interested in watching it, look for it, it's called "A Hero's Reward", and it's very…good -w- (Either in my account's Favorites or as the currently only other story in the OPM x SAO Crossover Section).

SO! That aside, welcome once again readers of this crazy and silly story about cosmic bullshit, teenage hormones running around and messy feelings getting mixed around :P Here is the first Interlude of the fic, which marks the end of arc 1 (Introduction) and the beginning of the second one! Also will show how the REAL plot will start to move full speed…and for those of you who doubted this had any at all, JUST READ and you shall see…

Enjoy :3!

 **PS:** This chapter hasn't been Beated yet by anyone but me, sorry about that ^_^

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Interlude: STAR HUNTERS**

 **December 18th, 2024. Astemeri Palace, Authea. Throne Room, 10:30…**

On the massive yet scarcely decorated room, Yhmos, last of the Ancient Rulers, sat on his throne, eyes closed and hands interlocked, seemingly in the middle of some deep and important ponderation…

"…I really, REALLY hate that boy."

…or maybe he was just repeating the same thing he had been obsessing about for the last hours. But really, on hindsight, one could hardly blame the once imposing Cosmic Being for this.

He had gone from the mightiest entity of an entire Universe to someone a damn human not even 2 decades old could laugh at to the point of having a nervous breakdown. And while in a way that could be seen as something positive, Yhmos had to accept he was glad Strea had managed to calm him down an turn him rational again. After all, the last thing he needed was the boy losing it seriously and his old powers running out of his control.

Maybe he was now only a 'God' in a virtual world within a (By his Universe's standards) backwater planet, but he preferred that over being blown up in an explosion of galactic scale, thank you very much.

Suddenly, the blinking Great One was broken out of his internal musings by what seemed like a distant scream that sounded suspiciously like 'Daaaddyyy!' Sighing as he stood up, Yhmos decided to bother himself with walking towards the throne room's massive balcony, if only to remind himself that the legs of his avatar were there for something, and stopped just at the edge…in time for some sort of 10 meters-tall mechanical colossus to stop just a second before crashing against it, hovering in the air with godly power.

The strange metallic 'sphere' that was orbiting around it, like a subatomic particle around an atom, suddenly stopped just slightly to his left, 'opening' its silver surface to reveal the lazy-looking form of the only one of his 'daughters' that hadn't changed her appearance at all besides turning her hair and eyes a deep silver. Even her 'dress' barely seemed personalized enough to fit the theme of the game, and it didn't have any special features like most of her sisters' had.

"Hello, Eve." kindly greeted Yhmos with just a slightly exasperated tone. "Any reason at all for coming like this instead of just asking Tomoe to be teleported back?"

"…her idea. Not mine." was all that the MHCP-004 said while pointing at the humanoid machine behind her, the words identifying her as **'Eve, Ancient Princess of Dreams'** seeming oddly unfitting above her.

Idly, the Ancient Ruler looked towards the imposing-looking 'mecha' that floated there, almost feeling the human need to sweatdrop at the sight.

It was glorious, with utmost and finely crafted details, armored in a knight-like way and with the 6 wings on the back seeming like those of a mechanic angel. On one arm it held a scimitar-like blade of burning energy, and on the opposite a silver-white shield-like construct was attached to the arm. It was also colored in bright golden, surrounded by an equally golden aura, the 'eyes' being a deep blue color. And it had drill-like constructs on the shoulders, for some reason.

All in all, the thing seemed like something one would expect of some fancy 'God Machine' that the main character of an anime would use to ride into the final battle of their story. And in a way, it was, for the mechanical construct was designed as the strongest 'Robot-Type Unit' in Requiem Universus Online.

It was called 'Singularity Breaker: Exangel Metatron', a machine that, if it were real and not part of a videogame, would have enough power to devastate entire countries in seconds…

"Heeey, that's so mean of you, Eve! And even after I went through all the trouble of creating that Magne-Sphere to carry you around without trouble, you ungrateful little sister!"

…and it was piloted by someone Yhmos would have NEVER trusted with any kind of highly destructive weapon if it came down to him, much less one of that caliber. However, being inside the virtual world meant that he didn't really need to worry about that…as long as she didn't try to do something too 'stupid'.

Don't get him wrong, he 'cared' for the MHCP-003 as much as he did for the rest of them (Which he had lately found out to be quite a lot), but the third oldest of his 'daughters' was probably the one with the less self-control of the bunch. And yes, that was even counting Strea.

The problem was that, when it came down to try and get Eve's attention, Ivy literally threw anything resembling restrain out of the window. Strea at least stopped after Yui gave her a warning or two, but the third of the MHCPs had to actually be scolded seriously AFTER messing something up for the point to get across her.

The Ancient Ruler could still remember how, during their earliest stages of the game's development, she had managed to _set fire_ to a forest that covered _a tenth of the planet_ while testing out the system for special battle-zones where terrain-damage and destructible scenery were enabled. By mistake.

"Ivy, please, I know you really like using that thing, but the servers have been officially opened already, you can't just fly around doing random things on it for no reason." sighed Yhmos while deadpanning towards the mecha.

To be honest, there wasn't really any problem with the young AI flying around as she pleased on her 'fancy toy'. If anything, it would probably give the game more popularity if Players saw the Metatron going around, making them aim for getting something similar.

Of course, if it was at the cost of letting hyperactive girl run rampant, then it was truly not worth the risk.

"Eh?! But daddy, I'm being a good girl like I promised to Yui-neesama and Strea-nee!" complained Ivy as the robot's chest opened, letting one see her new avatar sitting on the cockpit and pouting the Ancient Ruler's way. "I haven't blown up anything important lately!"

"…why does that makes it sound as if you STILL blow things up for time to time?" wondered Yhmos while looking towards his daughter with exasperation.

MHCP-003 had also customized her appearance to seem 'older', having the body of a regular teen of 14 or 15, but unlike her sisters' 'cute' or 'sexy' choices, she had gone for a more 'tomboyish' look, her short red hair styled in the stereotypical way associated with that definition and her eyes of a vibrant silver, similar yet different to those of Eve.

Also, she was wearing the typical 'mecha pilot suit' that one would expect from a Gundam series or similar, colored bright red with golden symbols on the chest, shoulders and back. Above her, a small window proudly proclaimed her as **'Ivy, Ancient Princess of Machines'**.

"I-I totally don't!" quickly denied Ivy while shaking her head. "A-anyway, that doesn't matter! I-I only wanted to tell you that we finished checking over the 'Spectral Jungle' area and everything is fine…and also how sorry I'm for not being here yesterday when Yui-nee and the rest found the thief, but I was so busy finishing the Magne-Sphere with Eve, and…"

"It doesn't matter, really." cut her off the Great One with a serious voice. "We…I screwed this up by myself, it wouldn't have changed anything if you had been here. If anything, it's thanks to Yui's and all of your efforts that we even managed to come this far…even if we didn't' plan how to go beyond this point."

"…hopeless?" questioned Eve while tilting her head, looking at her Father with something akin to worry.

"Yeah…pretty much." admitted Yhmos with an annoyed grunt. "Unless you find a way to mind-control that damn boy or some human is stupid enough to try and develop a machine to write/read into the human spirit on a planet with Level 6 Technology anytime soon."

Somewhere, a man named Higa Takeru froze in the middle of developing the base for a machine called 'Soul Translator', the next generation in FullDive development, wondering why he suddenly felt as if he shouldn't continue.

"Oh man, that sucks…" aptly summarized the tomboyish-looking AI.

"And you didn't really need to check that area, you now?" added the Ancient Ruler with a raised eyebrow. "The Cardinal System does it just fine."

Even in that moment, Yhmos could still feel the impressive program that had become part of his diminished existence running every single thing in the entirety of Authea, managing the virtual world and correcting errors if they popped up. As someone who had never dealt with 'mundane technology', having had his powers to do complex operations or his servants to take care of such lesser things, it baffled him the way in which the man-made virtual system could manage what was essentially an entire world almost by itself, his own Will barely having to do any real effort for it.

Truly, the human who created such a thing was an exceptional example of the species. No doubt it was that same mind that still kept him hidden and unable to be found by the authorities of the entire world…

"…why hasn't anyone found this place yet…?" sobbed Kayaba Akihiko from where he was currently tied up to a bed, even as the smiling shadow of Rinko loomed over him. "Isn't finding me supposed to be a big deal?!"

…for some reason, the Ancient Ruler suddenly felt as if he should take back the words he had just thought. How weird.

"But anyway, the point is that, you don't really need to do those things or worry about…that damn boy." finished Yhmos with a clear distaste. "Until we either find or develop a 'solution' for the mater of recovering my powers, we will take an…'alternative course of action'."

"Uh? What do you mean, daddy?" questioned the clearly curious Ivy, Eve's head tilting to the side indicating that she also wanted to know.

As if to answer them, a bolt of white energy flew faster than what should have been possible for any vehicle and crashed down besides the calm form of the Ancient Ruler, even as the two AIs almost jumped on their 'seats' before blinking and smiling at recognizing the newcomer.

"Onee-sama."

"Yui-neesama, hiiii!"

"Hi there, Ivy, Eve-chan." greeted the oldest of the MHCPs with a smile, before turning away from her sisters and looking seriously towards her Father. "I'm here as you asked, Papa. What do you need? It sounded really important…"

"It is." informed Yhmos while turning around, slowly walking away as his 'daughters' watched him in silence. "Remember what Strea said yesterday, Yui? About keeping an eye on the boy in real life? Have you gotten the info we needed?"

"Yes, Papa! His name is Kirigaya Kazuto, and he currently lives in the city of Kawagoe, on the Saitama Prefecture." quickly answered Yui while accessing the data she had recollected. "He was adopted by the family of his mother's sister when he was 1 years old after his parents died. His 'father' works overseas and, check this out, his 'mother' works on that magazine in which servers we were hiding back then. Also, his 'little sister' has recently won the second place in the kendo nationals of her…"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it, no need to tell me all his life's story." cut her off the Ancient Ruler before looking at her with serious eyes. "Well, as surprising as it seems, she was right. It IS a good idea to watch over him, both for my sake and because I think, after seeing firsthand how he acts, it would be better to not leave it at chance if he loses control of my powers and blows up the entire galaxy. Problem is…I REALLY don't want Strea to do it."

With a small wince, the oldest of the AIs silently agreed with her father's words. She wasn't sure how or why her little sister had developed so much 'curiosity' over the human that had stolen the Cosmic Powers of the Great One in the short amount of time they had interacted, but she sure as hell didn't want her sister too close to him either.

Who knew what sinister things he could do to corrupt and/or take advantage of her!

"So…you want me to be the one doing this job?" seriously asked Yui with a small frown, gaining gasps of shock from the other AIs.

"Yes, I do. You're by far the smartest and most level-headed of my…daughters, Yui. I'm sure you will be able to pull off this without problems or any complications sending Strea would cause." putting a hand over the black-haired girl's shoulder, Yhmos experimentally gave her what he thought would be an encouraging squeeze. "You will, of course, have all the resources we have gotten from our human collaborators (Who knew this 'game' would become so massively popular in little more than a solar cycle?) at your disposal. Try to keep a low profile, but if you're discovered then try and get close to him, have him trust you. That could make easier to manipulate him later on…"

"Ha-hai, Papa!" replied the MHCP-001, quickly banishing to the back of her mind the several doubts about the morality of manipulating someone like that in favor of giving a military salute. "I will accomplish this mission, don't doubt it!"

"I have faith in you, Yui. I know you won't disappoint me." smiled the Ancient Ruler while his oldest daughter nodded and turned around, opening several menus to probably begin her mission's preparations. Yhmos was more than sure that this was an important step towards the future.

Indeed. To send the understanding and impressionable virtual girl to keep constant vigilance over the clearly abnormal teenager with Cosmic Powers…

What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile, on another part of Authea…two petite figures silently observed the star-filled sky with awed smiles, a beautiful and unreal-looking lake just beside them.

"No matter how much I do it, I won't get tired of saying it: Awesome…no, scratch that, this is freaking fantastic!" one of them shouted while raising her hands, unable to tear her eyes away from the stars.

"Indeed it is…this is, without a doubt, the most beautiful world we have ever visited…" added the second girl while looking around, her gaze sweeping over the impossible red and blue leaves of the trees that filled that alien-looking forest, all of them having smaller patterns of other colors. "It was worth it to buy this as an 'early Christmas gift'…"

"Well, it's not like we really have much need of anything else." shrugged the first girl before turning towards the one at her side. "Besides, as you said, it was totally…worth it…nee-chan?"

The last words came out with a clearly worried tone, given that the other girl had been staring blankly at a certain point with a lost gaze for several seconds, but she quickly seemed to get out of it when her sister's voice reached her, making her turn a bright smile towards the younger one.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, I was just thinking how sad it was that the others couldn't get this game in time for the launch like us…"

"We-well, they said that they could get it for Christmas, so we won't have to wait too long for them…Ma-maybe we could even celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve all together here…" whispered the younger girl while biting her lips.

Those 'episodes' of her sister had been repeating more and more during the last month. She always said she was fine, and she dearly wanted to believe her, but knowing their condition there was always that gripping fear deep within her heart…

"Yes…that will be fun." softly nodded the older sister with a small smile. "After all, who knows how many more of those we will spend together…"

"…nee-chan, don't say…"

"Hyaaaa! You won't get the better of me, you oversized crustacean!"

"…uh?" echoed both sisters in confusion even as they looked to the side, in time to see a red-haired man dressed in samurai-like armor shooting a strange and futuristic-looking shotgun straight to the face of what seemed like a bull-sized lobster, with too many legs and four pincers, colored deep blue and yellow.

The man in question, taking advantage of the monster flinching upon his attack, quickly 'swung' his weapon in a very specific way, letting the cannon of the shotgun open to the sides to let a long blade slid out and close itself in place, even as the handle and trigger were shifted to the side to allow for the thing to finish 'transforming'.

Now armed with a bulky 'katana', the samurai wannabe released a battle cry and charged towards the 'Aquatic Defiler', a deadly precise swing taking off one of its pincers and also finishing off its HP Bar, letting it break into polygons.

Having stopped in his 'slashing stance' for several seconds, the man suddenly grinned and let out a victorious laugh as he lowered his hybrid weapon, closing his eyes as he gave his back to where his enemy had vanished.

"Hah! Another epic victory for the great Cosmic Samurai Klein! Hell yeah, these lobsters are no challenge for me, I will finish this Hunting Quest in no ti…!"

Whatever else Klein wanted to say was brutally interrupted when a car-sized crab with coral-like growths on its back emerged from the lake behind him with an unholy roar, its sickly green color shining under the starry night as the name identifying it as 'Depth Avenger' appeared over its head.

"Holy shit!" screamed the self-proclaimed Cosmic Samurai as he was barely able to raise his blade on time to block one of the massive pincers, which threw him through the air as if he had been hit by a speeding train, taking off a good chunk of his HP. "Fuck! That thing is NOT part of the Quest! Damn, my level is too low to finish it alo…!" once again, Klein's words were interrupted, though this time by the sight of several energy shots hitting the giant crab near the eyes with an abnormal precision, making it stagger back in time for a 'black sphere' to shot through the air and hit its head, the following explosion throwing it back into the water. "What?!"

"Hang in there, we're coming!"

"Yuu, it's going to charge back again! I will go first, then you finish it off!"

"Roger, Nee-chan!"

Turning around, the shocked man in red armor saw how two figures nimbly shot out from the nearby trees and jumped into battle without any hesitation, both of them moving with unnatural grace and speed as the Depth Avenger emerged again, roaring for vengeance.

It was silenced yet again when the second girl unleashed several shots against its head and upper carapace once again, letting the samurai wannabe see the small weapons that she had around her arms, like some sort of futuristic guns one held as if they were gauntlets, emerald in color. The monster, meanwhile, seemed to finally have enough of being hit and ignored the last energy shots in favor of retaliating with one of its massive pincers.

As if she was a specter and the world went painfully slow for her, the girl evaded the hammering attack, jumped over the pincer and sank her gauntlet-weapons on the crab's back, making it shriek as it tried to shake her off.

Klein barely had noticed how dagger-like blades covered in electric energy had emerged from the cannons of her weapon when the first girl shot past him, finally moving as if she had been preparing 'something', and rushed in as she unsheathed a strange silver sword from the futuristic sheath on her waist, which seemed to 'vibrate' as the strange mechanisms on it came to life.

"Dance, my blades!" ordered her as she rushed towards the Depth Avenger and her sister.

Suddenly, answering to her words, two 'things' shot from what the man had assumed to be a weird backpack on the girl's back, stopping almost a meter from her as they started to 'orbit' around the Player, surrounded and connected to her by some sort of…mystical or gravitational energy.

There were two more swords, identical to the one in her hand, flying around her as if in a deadly dance.

With a determined cry, the girl slashed forward with the blade on her hand, the flying ones reacting to some kind of unseen command and shooting forward towards the giant crab, slashing brutally in impossibly refined and accurate patterns, as if they were actually being guided by someone's hand and not by whatever system the game used for such an action.

The Depth Avenger roared even as the girl on its back jumped off, falling into the water in time for the sword-using one to reach the monster and, with more unnatural speed and agility, cut a deep gash on its underside, causing critical damage and letting her flying blades impale it just above its eyes, even as she stopped moving in her finished stance.

Screaming in anger again, the giant crab turned around, trying to crush the girl that was now under him.

He ate another 'black sphere' to its face for the trouble, at the same time that the flying blades came to life again and severed its pincers.

"No one messes with my little sister…" finished the one with the dagger-guns as the Named Mob exploded into polygons, even as she slowly walked out of the water.

"Nee-chan, you didn't need to say that! I wasn't in any danger!" pouted the younger sister as she followed out of the lake, her flying blades returning to the slots in the strange 'backpack' on her back, even as she turned to look towards the open-mouthed Klein. "Hey, you okay there?"

The samurai wannabe was, of course, not okay, his mind still trying to process how the two girls that were barely more than half his size had totally annihilated that thing without effort by moving and fighting in ways he thought no one but 'monsters' like Kirito or Heathcliff from the KoB could do.

One of them, the supposed 'older sister', was wearing what seemed like camouflage attire with light pieces of black armor on the shoulders and chest, a small 'cape' of silver color going down halfway through her back. A symbol that seemed like a heart with two wings and a small 'crown' was sewed on the middle of said cape.

The other one, the sword-using 'little sister', was wearing what seemed like a full-body battle suit, even if a very light one (Probably enhancing mobility over defense), mostly purple in color with some white parts on the chest, arms and legs. It also was to which the 'backpack', from where her 'flying blades' had emerged, was connected. On the center of her suit's chest, the same symbol of her sister's cape was proudly engraved.

What was most surprising about them, though, besides their seemingly unnatural skill, was how their faces looked identical, every detail in them seemed almost like a perfect copy of the other, except that the one of the gun-daggers had her black hair longer and tied into a small braid going just lower than her cape, and the sword-using sister had it just a little above her shoulders with no special style on it.

Twins, apparently.

"…that…was awesome!" finally shouted Klein while raising his weapon, making both girls blink in confusion as he transformed it back into a katana and hung it from his back, grinning at them all the while. "Man, thanks a lot you two, it would have sucked if that thing had killed and forced me to respawn. The last town I was in is almost 5 kilometers away, and because I'm alone I don't have anyone watching my back to resurrect me…"

"Wait, you were on a Hunting Quest all the way here all alone?" asked the one with the gun-daggers, surprised. "You must be pretty good, then, this area is no joke!"

"Heheh, well, I don't want to boast, but I'm no pushover when it comes to VRMMOs…" boasted the red-haired man before looking humbly towards them. "But nowhere near as good as you two. Seriously, you seemed like the protagonists of some battle anime or something! I have only ever seen personally one other person fighting even remotely like that, despite me and my guild always going around everywhere…"

"Eh? You have a guild?" there was clear surprise in the sword-using girl as she said this, even as Klein grinned in return.

"You bet! Actually, I'm waiting for them to also get this game so we can reform it, but we have been one since…way back." finished him with a vague tone as his eyes seemed to get a reminiscent look, before he was sheepishly smiling again. "In fact, only one of my actual friends, the one I told you moved kind of like you two, is playing this game right now as far as I know it, but I haven't seen him Logged in days…"

"Well, talk about coincidences." spoke the first girl with her own smile, putting both hands behind her head. "We're in a similar situation, our friends are also part of a guild with us everywhere we go, and they're also getting the game around Christmas!"

"Really? Heh, the world is certainly a small place, then." declared the samurai wannabe before making an over-exaggerated 'bow' towards the sisters, which found it very hard not to laugh at. "'Cosmic Samurai' Klein, leader of the awesome guild Fuurinkazan, is in your debt, little warrior ladies."

In answer, the two girls exchanged a look before smiling, even as the one with the dagger-guns grinned back at Klein as she also made an exaggerated gestured of greeting.

"Heh, 'Space Hunter' Ran, leader of the Sleeping Knights! Pleased to meet you!"

"And I am, uhm…,'Astral Sword' Yuuki, the guild's second in command! A pleasure too!"

Before the man in red armor could answer to the introductions, the sudden sound of something falling down with twin shouts of 'Hyaaaa!' drew everyone's attention, making them turn their heads towards the lake.

They were just in time to see a house-sized thing, that seemed like some kind of abomination from the deep seas, emerge and growl at them for a second before two small 'meteors', one clad in black with silver and the other in black with silver, crashed against the Boss' head, creating a thunderous explosion that shattered it into polygons and that also drenched all three blinking players.

"On point! Good hit, Yin-chan!"

"Nah, wouldn't have done it without you, Yan-chan! And you three there, you should be more careful, you know? I know the game hasn't been out for too long, but I thought it would be common sense already that these lakes around here are ruled by the 'Summon Bigger Fish' trope!"

For their part, the two girls and one samurai wannabe could just look in awe at the two identical blonde girls, which seemed no older than 12 and were wearing identical robe-armors, their hands and feet coated with some sort of mystical energy (One black and the other white), that also seemed to allow them to float in midair, their twin-tails moving wildly at the wind that their 'combined technique' had caused.

As if by instinct, Klein's eyes were drawn to the two strange cursors over their heads, which familiar shapes proclaimed something to anyone who looked, idly aware of the other two twins at his side staring at them in awe.

 **Yin, Ancient Princess of Bright Mysteries.**

 **Yan, Ancient Princess of Dark Mysteries.**

And so, a meeting that would shape the future had just taken place…

* * *

As she walked out of the bathroom that night, having just finished taking a shower, Kirigaya Suguha couldn't help but sigh as she finished drying her hair and making sure no water fell on her red pajamas, thinking about her adoptive brother and his tendency to do idiotic things.

Certainly, while a massive weight had been lifted from her chest after Kazuto explained to her and the rest what had happened inside RUO, though neither she nor the other three girls that shared the status of 'Anchors' seemed to find the events nearly as 'funny' as the gamer had (Though describing the parts about the supposed 'Alien God' and his 'family's reactions had certainly gotten a chuckle out of Rika), the worries about how the boy seemed to be assuming their 'enemies' were no longer a threat still lingered within her (Reason why she was still planning to acquire herself a copy of Requiem Universus Online for Christmas, in case of any emergency).

Though to be honest, the main reason for why her heart felt so heavy was because, even after days of the 'problem' having been 'resolved' in Kazuto's eyes, he still hadn't even mentioned the…

"Sugu?" suddenly called the gamer's voice, just as she was about to enter her room, making the young kendoka freeze and turn around to look towards his room, the boy standing just before its door with a determined but embarrassed look on her heart. "Ca…can we talk for a minute?"

Suguha felt her heart accelerating like crazy at the sound of those words.

"Ye-yeah, of course we can, Onii-chan." shakily answered the girl as she walked towards him, idly aware of how she suddenly felt all skittish and shy. _"Wha-what's wrong with me?! This is what you wanted, Suguha, stop acting like a schoolgirl scared of being rejected; you're a national-level kendoka and…!"_

"Okay…please, come with me." softly muttered Kazuto while grabbing her harm, taking her into his room, shattering any semblance of composure left on Suguha as her face burst into a crimson mask.

 _"Wa-wait, what?! He's taking my hand, and ta-taking to his room?! Awawawaaa! N-no, wait, Onii-chan, I-I love, but, but…!"_

"Please, bear with this for a moment, okay, Sugu?" continued the gamer, ignorant of how his adoptive sister was about to mentally explode, before turning around and grabbing her shoulders while closing his eyes, concentrating.

"…uh?" dumbly asked the girl while blinking, feeling the power gathering as the boy crafted a Mystery in a second, his eyes opening and showing 12-pointed stars of blue-white energy on them. "Onii…?"

The words died on the young kendoka's throat as she felt herself floating off the ground together with Kazuto. She was barely processing that she was actually levitating when her common sense told her she was about to crash against the ceiling…and both of them went right through it, as if they were a pair of ghosts.

Suguha's shock still hadn't worn off when they emerged and landed on their house's roof, becoming solid again as they softly touched the tilted surface.

It was a good thing that the gamer was holding her, because her first reaction was to release a surprised squeak and almost fall backwards, but he made sure to have a firm hold on her when it happened.

"Woah, calm down! It's okay, I got you, nothing is going to happen…"

"Bu-but, Onii-chan, the neighbors, so-someone could see…!"

"I already crafted a Mystery around the house for that, Sugu, I'm not an idiot." said the black-haired boy with a wry smile, even as he carefully helped his adoptive sister to sit on the roof at his side, the girl trying to stay as close as possible to him for…security reasons. "Anyone who happens to look at our house will see nothing out of the ordinary."

"…I thought you wouldn't go using those powers for no reason." muttered the girl with just a small hint of accusation in her voice.

"Yes…but, after the whole deal with the 'Anchors' I think it's best if I at least know how to actually do some basic stuff, to be sure nothing like that happens again and to try and find a way to reverse it." explained Kazuto while looking to the night sky, before suddenly looking back at her with intense eyes. "…but even without that, it wasn't for 'no reason' this time."

"Re-really…?" continued the young kendoka while staring back at him, resolute despite her fierce blush.

"Sugu…the other day, when you…kissed me…"

"Yes…?" urged Suguha while feeling her heart about to jump out of her chest…and also entertaining the idea of beating the shit out of the gamer if he dared to ask 'Why?'

There was just so much idiocy a maiden's heart could take, after all.

"…do you really feel that way about me? Even if we're cousins? Even if…" there was a clear struggle in the boy's mind as he said the next words, as if the sole idea made something within him shake. "Even if you could probably get any guy way better than me?"

"Yes." immediately answered the girl without hesitation, her arms closing around the surprised Kazuto as she buried her face on his chest. "I don't want any 'other guy', Onii-chan. I want YOU. Not because you have some weird divine-alien powers, not because you were some powerful swordsman that survived SAO…but because you're you. The idiot who cares for me, who would rather spend the day playing videogames than going outside, that barely thinks of others when he says stuff most of the time…that's the person I love, both the good and the bad." slowly, the young kendoka raised her face from the gamer's chest, staring right into his black eyes with teary orbs. "It's you who I fell in love with, O…Kazuto-kun. Even…even if you don't really feel the same way, just letting you know this, to know that at least a part of you sees me as a girl, I'm ha…"

It was short, not lasting more than two seconds. It was simple. It was sudden. Nothing like the one they 'shared' the other day, which now seemed like a very long time ago…

Even so, Suguha still felt as if fireworks had exploded inside her heart when the boy kissed her himself, gazing at her with fiery eyes as they separated.

"I…don't know how to put my feelings into words. I'm just an idiot like that, you probably know, Sugu. Even so…I think I can safely say I don't just see you as my little sister anymore…but as the most important person in my life." firmly stated Kazuto while caressing the girl's cheek, something within him being deeply touched as he saw tears running down her eyes. "And I swear right now that, if you really are okay with me…I will always be with you, like you have been with me all this…"

The gamer was unable to continue talking, as his adoptive sister tackled him down in that moment and started to sob happily on his chest, holding him in a way that it would almost be painful is his body wasn't almost inhumanly resistant, almost as if thinking he would vanish and it would all end up being a dream in any second.

"Onii-chan…so happy…I love you, Onii-chan…!" said the young kendoka between sobs, even as the smiling boy caressed her head with one hand and tried to clean her tears with the other.

"…heh, now I feel kind of like an idiot for putting this off for so long just to prepare a gift in case you got mad at me or something…" awkwardly commented Kazuto while scratching the back of his head.

"E-eh? Yo-you delayed it for something like that?! Onii-chan, you idiot, I never needed a…wait, what kind of gift are you talking about?" finally said the girl while looking at him, then around them, at the roof. "Do-does it has anything to do with us being…here?"

"Uhm, well, kind of…it's just that, you see, in the middle of all of this I remembered that I have missed out two of your birthdays, and the next one is just some months away, so…"

"…Onii-chan, what did you do?" quickly asked Suguha with slightly narrowed eyes.

The last thing she needed was that what could possibly be the happiest moment in her life got ruined because he used his cosmic powers to do some crazy that…

"It's…well, it's 'up' there." finished the gamer with a defeated sigh while pointing straight out.

Confused, the girl looked up towards the darkened sky with confused eyes, as the only thing that was up there were the…

Suguha's breathing stopped as her eyes widened; her whole body freezing as she STARED at the sky.

Even with the newest regulations about 'luminous pollution' that had started being applied since 2020, it was still difficult to see more than a couple of stars when you looked at the skies of a city. Even if Kawagoe was 'small' when compared to other bigger urban areas of Japan, it was still big enough for the girl to have never seen more than the occasional group of celestial bodies shining on the dead of the night.

Now, however, having apparently come out of nowhere, a new group of stars shone faintly on the heavens. And unlike the constellations imagined by man, this particular group seemed as if it had been put there purposefully to form a specific shape.

That of a fairy with its wings opened in mid-fly.

"…eh?"

"I…kind of started working on it as a way to distract myself, a-after the night we…you know, kissed. I wanted t-to see if I could actually fix the mess I did with that dying star I carry around on my 'inventory', so I-I made sure to read carefully that part of the manual like crazy and started to experiment…after all, I have a crapton of Cosmic Energy on that thing inside me, so much it was actually scaring the shit out of me because it just _keeps growing_ , so I thought spending some of it in huge quantities may help me relax." lamely explained the boy while trying not to show how nervous he was. "O-of course, I just put it 'up there' tonight, and I made sure to put them as far away as I could imagine, they're on another galaxy, and they haven't destroyed or damaged anything important by existing…I think. Plu-plus they're just newborn stars, really, very 'little' when compared to some of the things out there and not really much powerf…"

"Wait. Please. Stop. I'm still trying to process this." cut him off the young kendoka with an empty voice, suddenly looking at him with a blank face. "You…created new stars and put a _constellation_ in the sky…just for ME?"

"…it's the most stupid things you have ever heard, right? God, I knew it was, bu-but I was just too out of it!" lamented Kazuto while quickly shaking his head. "So-sorry, I wish I had thought about this idiotic thing better, but I promise you I will find how to make them vanish in no…!"

For the umpteenth time that night, someone's words were suddenly cut off, though in the gamer's defense this time it was because the tackle and the kiss the girl gave him literally blew his mind away from their intensity.

"Hmph?! Su…?!"

"Don't. Talk." was all that Suguha allowed herself to say before once again capturing his mouth with hers, her arms closing around the shocked boy's body as they 'sank' through the roof, immaterial once again.

A small part of Kazuto's mind allowed itself to feel shocked for a split of a second, because the boy wasn't the one that had re-activated the Mystery, as he could feel through the Anchor-Link.

Then the boy's back hit his bed, the young kendoka allowing a moment to catch their breath and moan softly, and he no longer was thinking about anything related to Cosmic Powers.

Or about how the world's astronomical community was going to react at finding a new constellation in the nigh-perfect shape of a fairy on the heavens from one day to the next.

In that moment, both Fuu and Elucidator were standing before the room's closed door, silently staring at it when they started to hear certain 'sounds' coming from the inside. Slowly, the robo-phone started to move towards it before a 'paw' of the cat-thing crushed it into the ground by surprise.

"Nope. You're NOT recording that, Luci-kun."

"Bu-but…why?!"

"Because like hell I'm letting you ruin this precious moment. Now c'mon, let's go see that Transformers movie you wanted to see…"

"Hey, Fuu, stop dragging me! I have got to record the boss' every day actions…!"

And in the middle of the suddenly very peaceful and calm night of Japan…three certain girls suddenly shot up on their beds, eyes wide open and faces beet red.

They were all receiving a quite interesting 'feedback' from their 'connection', after all…

* * *

On Its throne above Everything, [FATE] made the Omniversal equivalent of an annoyed grunt.

Of course, being a being to which the normal Concept of [Emotions] didn't quite apply to, it wasn't the most appropriate way to describe it, but it was the only one with which normal beings that existed within Reality could understand Its current state.

After all, It had just finished having a very long and 'annoying' gathering with Its siblings about the actions to be taken against a certain and very annoying Universe…

As if by instinct, the Ultimate One's eternal gaze zeroed towards that particular Universe, only to look away once again the moment it did so. The [Time] remaining for it was already counted…

Trying to distract Itself from the 'annoyance' and Its eternal 'boredom', [FATE] gazed at another part of that particular Multiverse…and 'blinked' in surprise at noticing 'something' unusual.

Easily finding the disturbance within Reality (And pointedly ignoring the strange sensation that something of Cosmic Level was 'singing' waves of happiness all around), the Absolute One stared towards a particular point of space, near that Universe's Earth…

On the Dark Side of the Moon, to where no Earthling eyes, or satellites, were currently looking…a massive 'fissure' that went Beyond suddenly opened with a tearing 'sound', the wave somehow echoing in the soundless void as it 'spat out' something before closing itself with equal violence.

For several seconds, what seemed like cut-off piece of metal with a strange arrow-like shape, as big as one of Earth's biggest cities, floated in the darkness surrounded by a shining diamond aura.

Then, without warning, the aura died down and vanished, just as several stadium-sized 'pods' shot from the massive cut-off section…

The following explosion destroyed several of the dozens pods that were falling towards the Moon's Dark Side, shaking the Earth's natural satellite itself with its potency as what had been the remaining portion of some sort of spaceship was consumed by a flare of destruction.

The pods crashed quite violently against the Moon's surface seconds later, a couple exploding on impact, making more than clear that something terrible had happened, as if it hadn't been already obvious.

And within one of such massive pods…pandemonium reigned as dozens of figures ran from side to side illuminated only by titillating emergency lights, shouts and orders echoing everywhere as the clearly damaged insides of the escape capsule just made everything more difficult.

Throwing a notorious amount of debris aside, looking with a mix of worry and horror to the sparks falling from the ceiling and the chaos filling the whole area, a humanoid figure clad in some sort of full body magenta armor rushed down a hallway, suddenly stopping a running mechanical figure as it tried to rush past it.

The android, which had three arms and wheels instead of legs, was about to snap back something at the offender when it seemed to recognize who it was, almost seeming to flinch under the gaze of the semi-spherical helmet with the V-shaped visor.

"Ca-captain! I'm so glad to see you're okay, I will report it immediately to every…!"

"Android, cut that crap. What in Fate's name is going on?! What happened?! Everything after we made the 'Jump' is unclear…" muttered the so-called Captain while staring around, an edge of panic filling the officer's voice. "Where is the Admiral?! What are his orders?!"

"…the Admiral didn't make it, Captain." solemnly informed the machine with a somber tone, making the humanoid figure drop it and take several steps back.

"Wha…? No…no way, you're lying…there is no way…!"

"It's true, 'Noble Reaper'. Our noble leader is gone…" came a weak voice from beyond a door to the pair's side, making the Captain's head snap in that direction to see a trembling form half-buried under some damaged pipes. "Then again, he knew very well the risks involved when he asked us if we wanted to do this…"

"Sorcerer…Alzu-nei, was it? From the 124th Division?" spoke the officer while walking towards the figure wearing a red and golden robe…a squid-like head with mustard-colored skin staring back with 4 yellow eyes. "But…how is this possible? I…we all knew it would be dangerous to jump between dimensions, but this level of damage is beyond anything we thought…It's a catastrophe! We had a Nerokiam Deity protecting the ship, for the love of Destiny!"

"We…miscalculated, Captain Revenant. We thought the Great Tyrant just jumped to another Universe to escape after the triple supernova that eradicated the entire main force blinded us, hence why our Admiral suggested we pursued Him to end the threat once and for all…but me and my brothers realized too late our mistake." somberly muttered Alzu-nei while weakly raising a palmed hand with tentacle-like fingers, which the captain grabbed without hesitation, startled at feeling the weak heartbeat under it. "Our sworn Enemy did something even bolder than our worst nightmares could have imagined: He ran to another _Multiverse_."

"Wha-what…? But…that means…we jumped through the Great Void?" whispered the officer while shaking in place. "By the Absolute Ones…how aren't we all dead…?"

"By sheer dumb luck, Captain. The combined Mystery me and my brothers crafted followed the exact path the Tyrant's essence took to arrive here, so I think we crossed through the remnants of whatever 'hole' He made when Jumping…And it still came to a terrible price. We lost 90% of the ship when we crashed through the Great Void, and our Guardian Deity died when we made the last escape through Unreality. Then less than half of the survivors managed to make it to the Escape Pods before its aura vanished and the segment of the ship exploded." the squid-like creature stopped a moment to cough several times, a greenish liquid staining the Captain's armor as he did so. "And…my entire Brotherhood is dead, the strain of the Mystery bigger than anything we expected. I myself have…not much time left. I'm sorry, Captain Revenant. Even if we had another intact ship…we wouldn't be able to return home. We're stuck here…forever."

Silently, the officer clenched the fist that wasn't holding the Sorcerers hand, shaking again.

There had been 3000 Sorcerers onboard the ship, an entire Brotherhood of masters of True Magic, plus their occasional apprentices, some of which may or may not have survived the Jump.

With their current state, it would be nigh-impossible to gather such a force again (If it even _existed_ in that Multiverse), and even if they did try to Jump back it would be akin to suicide. It was already a miracle among miracles that any of them had survived, even if not much longer if the apparent damage on the Pods was anything to go by…

 _"Mother…"_ sadly thought the helmet-wearing officer, before quickly squashing the feeling in favor of standing up. "I'm sorry…but I must go. I need to see if we can repair the damage long enough for…"

"It won't matter. All the Escape Pods that 'landed' and are still standing on this giant rock's surface are damaged beyond salvation." weakly informed Alzu-nei while gripping the captain's hand. "We have probably less than 10 minutes before we all die in explosions or crushed by the pressure."

"Fate damn it!" roared the one called Revenant while slamming a fist against the metallic wall, denting it and making the android flinch. "It can't fucking end like this…!"

"It won't. At least not if you have the resolution to do what we must." the Sorcerer's eyes shone softly the moment the captain's gaze returned to him. "I have…enough power to craft one last Mystery if I convert my remaining Life Energy into mana. I will Jump you and everyone in the Escape Pods to the nearby planet's surface, at the closest uninhabited area to where the trail of our Enemy vanishes…"

"Wait…you mean He's here?! The Admiral was right!" suddenly, doubt seemed to fill the officer's face, the gaze behind the helmet turning to the squid-like creature with worry. "But…can you really do that in your state?"

"Don't underestimate me, child. You may be the Captain, but I'm a Sorcerer of the noble planet Druetune! I have lived countless star mega-cycles more than you…" Alzu-nei's boast was interrupted by another coughing fit assaulting him, only aggravating the captain's worries. "G-go…inform everyone to grab all the supplies they can in the next two minutes…I will transport anything anyone living on the area is touching…make sure any machines are in contact with someone that actually breaths or they will be left behind…"

"…we won't forget your sacrifice, Alzu-nei. By the Universal Alliance, you will always be remembered as a hero." declared the officer while slowly standing up.

"I don't need any of that, Captain Revenant. Just that you…promise me our mission will be completed." the squid-like Sorcerer's voice came weaker than ever as he said that, strange symbols appearing around him as his eyes shone with long-lost power. "For everyone's sake, in this Universe and ours…the Tyrant must be slain."

"…I know. And I promise. This madness will end, one way or another…" softly answered the officer with a quiet nod, casually putting a hand over the silent android, which was in the middle of repeating the orders of getting supplies and grab to all moving machines nearby to all the surviving members of the crew. "May Unreality have mercy of your Existence, Sorcerer."

"Heh…that's a good one." laughed Alzu-nei before raising his hands, untold power raging around him as he sought deeply into the workings of Reality. _"Dust into Dust. Death for the Doomed. Space, be warped…"_

The last whisper echoed into the air for an instant before the body of the last Sorcerer of the Multiversal-jumping ship flashed and was reduced to ashes, all of its remaining Life Force spent.

At the same time, space-warping energy shot from his remains, hitting first the captain, making both officer and android vanish from sight, before extending over the entire Escape Pod and, seconds later, over the entire area of the Moon where the capsules had landed.

Less than 4 Earth minutes later, the Escape Pods, all which remained of the once great Nebula-Class Battlecruiser, exploded as their precariously remaining systems failed, illuminating the Moon's dark side for several seconds.

Later, on an area deep within the woods, at the base of a small mountain…countless figures, some humanoid and some with very strange shapes, could be seen moving around, some exploring the area with otherworldly-looking weapons while others set up boxes, containers and some strange kind of equipment all around.

Slowly walking towards a nearby hill, Captain Revenant and the same android from before stopped upon seeing two other figures already waiting there, both of them also wearing armored 'suits'.

One could also perhaps pass as a man, if he wasn't almost 3 meters tall and had four arms, two of them currently crossed over his chest while the others operated small devices on its green suit, which had way too many 'scars' on it.

The other only had a vaguely humanoid appearance in the way that it had a torso and arms, but both of them were too bulky and ended in three-pointed claws, if the space suit/armor was truly shaped like what was underneath. Not to mention that instead of legs the being had a long and slithering appendage that could only be called a 'tail', even if it made up most of the length of its body, at least five armored meters of it being dragged over the ground and used to support the not even 2-meters tall 'humanoid' part of the body. Also, the head was long and opened to the sides, the helmet covering it bulky and with a slight beak-like form.

"…this is it? Are we really the only Superior Officers that survived?" asked the captain once the other two beings were within earshot. "Of 200000, only three?"

"Compared to how many lives we actually lost from the entire crew, that only us remain is not that horrible, captain. Even more if you take into account how many were lost in the main assault against the Tyrant." commented the 4-armed being with a gruff voice, before using one of his limbs to make a military salute. "It's good to see you survived, though."

"At ease, lieutenant. You're way older than me, rank notwithstanding…plus it matters little with our current situation." said Revenant while all three of them looked towards the survivors scattered down there. "…1294. Not even 0,1% of the original crew…"

"It'sss not a miracle we are alive, but a fucking ssssentence of the Ancessstorss." finally spoke the snake-like creature while shaking his head. "We ssshould have never tried to follow that damn monssster."

"…what the hell is wrong with your Translator, general?" asked the confused captain while raising an eyebrow.

"Mine got damaged when we Jumped. Thisss one is from one of my ssssubordinatesss, so it'sss not calibrated." explained the identified general while lowering his gaze. "He…wasssn't going to need it anymore…"

"Fuck. Well, remind me to make sure everyone has their own working, and if not to see if someone got spares down with the supplies we got. Last thing we need is not to understand each other right now…" continued Revenant before turning to look at the silent android. "Android? What's the status of the data I asked you for?"

"…just finished gathering it, Captain Revenant. The planet we're in now it's apparently called Earth, and we're in a noticeably big, by the world's standards, landmass surrounded by water called 'Japan', apparently a country." explained the machine while rolling between the 3 officers, its spherical head tilting to the side. "I don't have much more specific info as I lack the necessary equipment on my systems, but I would estimate that this world's technology is Level 8 or maybe less. There wasn't any self-sustained station in sight when we were in that small satellite up there and the artificial ones surrounding the planet seem very primitive."

"So, we're stranded on a backwater planet with not even Level 10 resources available?" groaned the four-armed lieutenant while grabbing his head with two limbs. "Perfect. Fucking perfect…"

"Forget that. Who the hell namesss their planet 'Earth'?" confusedly demanded the snake-like general. "That'sss, like naming a baby 'Infant' or sssomething like that…"

"Humans, apparently. Also, I think you may be interested to know at least 2 entire squads of Heavy Vehicles managed to survive the crash and get down with us, plus one Team of 'Ghost Walkers' and a dozen Aura Scouts." informed the small machine while looking at its superiors. "Also, we managed to get one Titan down."

All three of the officers tensed at that, shock quickly being replaced by grim seriousness.

"Is it operational?" questioned the 4-armes lieutenant almost immediately.

"Not at the moment. It has sustained minimal damage…at least by our Universe's standards. Given this planet's level of tech, I would say it would take a couple ultra-cycles to repair it fully…and we would need resources from the native humans."

"We ssshould consssider making that a priority." opined the snake-like general. "After all, we could probably dessstroy almossst any army of this primitive planet with it…"

"…we also have this with us." added the captain while raising a small jewel shining with esoteric power inside, making the other two's eyes widen in shock.

"Is that your…?!"

"Why didn't you sssay that before?! We could easssily blow up thisss primitive rock effortlessssly with THAT…!"

"No one is blowing up this planet unless there is no other option. We risked too much and survived against all odds to throw our lives away like that." acidly growled Revenant while hiding the jewel again. "This Galactic Spirit is a last resort in case we're forced on a direct confrontation with the Tyrant and no hope is left."

"…about that, are you sure He is here?" questioned the 4-armed lieutenant with clear doubt, looking towards the darkened night sky. "And that He's weak enough for us to kill Him?"

"That's what the Admiral calculated and believed in. And given that this world still seems to be primitive and ruled by humans, I'm willing to bet that this is the case." proclaimed the captain while staring at the horizon. "The Great Tyrant is within our reach, weak, weaker than anyone in the Universal Alliance could have dreamed of…and it falls on us to exterminate Him, for the sake of everything."

"Too bad our dear Admiral wasssn't sssmart enough to sssurvive the Jump." snorted the snake-like general…before something pointy and deadly stopped just an inch from his face, making him freeze.

The skeletal appendage was a grayish white in color, almost seeming more metallic than any bone-construct should, but the Naga-lookalike alien knew very well that the scorpion-like tail that was emerging from just above the captain's backside wasn't part of the armor, but something growing directly from the officer's body.

Hateful eyes glared directly at the paralyzed general as the helmet 'opened' with a hissing sound, folding to the sides and over the shoulders in an impressive, from an Earthling point of view, display of alien tech.

Long pink hair fell down the captain's back, deep green eyes with diamond-shaped pupils seemingly wanting to tear a hole through the snake-like creature's head as _she_ growled in anger, her skin of a slightly pale tone that seemed to fuse with the moonlight. By human standards, she didn't look to be older than 19, perhaps 18.

"Don't insult the memory of my father again, general, or we will see how you try and survive in an oxygen-based atmosphere with a hole on your support suit. Your race isn't very good in those, right?" growled the captain even as her tail retracted into the special part of her armor made to 'hide it', ready to act as a nasty surprise to anyone who didn't know about it. "…android, what's your ID?"

"Observation Droid 45920-F, Captain Revenant." quickly answered the machine as the alien girl nodded.

"Congratulations, you have been promoted to my personal assistant. Now go and relay the orders, we need to secure the area, recount all the supplies and set-up a cloaking signal on all specters around the base." ordered Revenant while turning around and opening a small terminal on her suit's arm. "Last thing we need is the humans finding and blowing us up with a missile or something before we have any way of seeing it coming."

"Affirmative, captain." nodded the machine before turning around and rolling away.

"…this is the last Log of the Nebula-Class Battleship 'Star Hunter'. Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant, codename 'Noble Reaper', reporting." softly muttered the pink-haired young woman with a stony gaze, staring directly at the terminal on her arm.

"…this is Lieutenant of the 5th Demolition Division, Rarun-Konik, codename 'Fortress Breaker', reporting." added the 4-armed being with a serious tone.

"…General of the 26th Troop of Extermination, Gahul Moria, codename 'Venomous Slayer', reporting." finished the snake-like creature with a clearly annoyed grunt.

"We have survived, and we will accomplish the Admiral's last orders. For the Universal Alliance, we shall ensure the end of the last of the Ancient Rulers." coldly proclaimed the captain while clenching her fists.

On the background, near another hill, one of the several androids around, this one looking more humanoid, stopped and unceremoniously raised an imposing flag, many of the survivors around looking at it with a mix of respect and hope.

On it, there was a circle of flames with a 12-pointed blue-white star in the middle…or at least what remained of it, as countless different limbs (Claws, hands, tentacles, etc.) were reaching for it from the flames and tearing it apart.

A cry of _'Long life to the Universal Alliance!'_ echoed through the impromptu camp.

"…and by the Ancestors, I swear, we will make sure that…wait, have I gone crazy or does that group of stars looks like a Fae from Okazus-7?"

"Huh…would you look at that, that's something you don't see every day."

"…I think thisss may be a sssignal that our missssion will be successssful…perhapsss."

Meanwhile, on the virtual planet of Authea, on the floating place of Astemeri…Yhmos the Ancient Ruler blinked, looking around in confusion.

"…I just had this weird feeling that something horrible is going to happen…but not to me."

"That's…good, right, daddy?" asked a confused Tomoe from where she was operating several screens.

"I think so. And thank the Omniverse, I was starting to get tired of so much crap happening to me…"

On Its throne above Everything, [FATE] blinked again before quickly looking away from that Universe, doing the Omniversal equivalent of whistling innocently.

That hadn't been Its fault, and Reality wasn't under any threat, so it still wasn't Its problem.

As It had previously said, let someone like [DESTINY] take care of that…

* * *

 **Next** **:** _Complicated Relationships_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Who said gifting stars didn't get you in a girl's pants :P? Okay, terrible jokes aside, with this Interlude we officially conclude the first arc, and head into the second one 'Ascension'. Be prepared, because it will be epic…in the hilarious sense, of course XP

Also, kindly reminder to everyone that didn't get this on the ANs just before the prologue, but this story isn't really meant to be taken all that seriously. In a way, its main elements come from a parody/deconstruction of the genres of Cosmic Entities/Sci-Fi. Yhmos isn't supposed to be seen as a Lovecraftian deity, but more like one of Marvel Comic's cosmic beings (Anyone who has seen Galactus interacting with Squirrel Girl or seen Chaos and Cosmos bickering will understand what I'm talking about).

Now, about some references made in the chapter (Skip if you're not interested in SAO details): Suguha's birthday, like almost all of the other characters, isn't actually known (Kirito and Asuna's are known because who they are, and Silica's is only known because it was the main point of a sidestory), but one can make educated guesses with what is known: She was 13 when Kazuto was trapped in SAO, and by the time he was out she was already 15. Then, we know she's already 16 by the time the Phantom Bullet arc starts, so if we take into account the Fairy Dance happens at the end of January and the last scene is on April, then her birthday must be somewhere between February and November. While not specified in the chapter, I myself think it must more or less around March.

Likewise with the Konno Sisters (Who was surprised of seeing them :3?), we know that their birthday is on May 23 thanks to the sidestory "Sisters' Prayer", and that while both celebrated their 14th Birthday together with their friend Merida (First member of the Sleeping Knights besides them), Aiko/Ran died before turning 15. Given the time I calculate it would take for them to meet everyone else and travel some virtual worlds (There were some around before the Seed came out, but very restrictive and lesser known compared to after it came out in canon), here I determine Aiko would still be alive, but with very little time left, while Merida and Clovis (The last and totally unknown member of the SK that also died before they came to ALO in canon) have already passed away D: This is all relevant to the plot because…well, you shall see.

Finally…bet you totally weren't expecting that last part at all, eh? Heheh, now the 'real' plot of the story can begin, and a massive amount of chaos and madness combined with hilarity can ensue (Don't worry, even in the most 'serious' parts of this fic, it will still retain its crazy nature, I promise)!

Okay, that's it for now, boys and girls. Hope to see you all next time when the consequences of what, ehem, just happened around come kick someone in the balls…not literally. Maybe. Probably…

So yeah, see you all soon! This is Saint, signing off!


	7. Chapter 5: Complicated Relationships

Well, well, here we are again! Hi to you all, my dear readers, for another chapter of this silly and weird story of mine XP

Hope you're having a good time in your lives. I myself have been okay, though a bit lazy, which is the reason for the slight delay with this chapter. Internet can be very distracting sometimes…

But anyway, here begins the second Arc, 'Ascension', and things start slowly going crazy for everyone around…Enjoy!

 **PS:** This chapter has been beta-ed by my good friend OMG. He's awesome :D

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy. If only it was that simple...

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Complicated Relationships**

 **December 19th, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household, 08:30…**

The fist rays of the morning sun softly hitting his face were what made Kirigaya Kazuto to wake up. Even so, the gamer's eyes remained closed even as he tried to ignore the glare of his world's star, opting for trying to go back to sleep. Sadly, certain memories that suddenly rushed through his mind made him unable to do so, even as his face turned a deep scarlet color.

Gods of Gamers in Heaven, now _that_ had been quite the dream. Also the most vivid one he had ever had, given the amount of _details_ in it. The boy didn't even know he had such a sharp enough imagination to reproduce all of that…but then again, he was a hormonal teenager with several problems to relate to people till recently.

" _Still…Sugu would probably kill me if she knew I dreamed of her in that way…"_ idly thought Kazuto while snuggling into his bed, enjoying the unusual warmness coming from the fleshy pillow he was resting against.

The pillow that suddenly released a soft snore and pushed him closer to itself…

Eyes snapping open, the suddenly frozen gamer slowly looked upwards from his place lying on the bed.

A cute face stared back at him, dark-grey eyes fluttering open to look towards his, letting out a small yawn as she did so, subconsciously pushing their bodies even closer.

Then the girl's face blushed brightly, a smile appearing on it as she softly, almost fearfully, caressed the boy's cheek with one hand.

"Good morning, Onii-chan." whispered Suguha with a kind tone.

"Go-good morning…Sugu…" greeted back Kazuto while, very slowly, getting out of the young kendoka's arms (To her apparent reluctance) and sitting up on his bed, never stopping to stare at her.

When the bedcovers slid off from his actions, the gamer was able to verify that, yes, his adoptive sister/cousin wasn't wearing anything, her beautiful, well-developed and toned body completely exposed for him to see. And he was currently in a similar state.

Even more 'surprising', though, was how the girl didn't try to actively cover herself or to reach for the covers once again, staring at him with a deep blush but not doing any attempt to prevent him from _staring_. And the gamer was still enough of a hot-blooded male to do exactly that, admiring how, as he had previously noticed, the years of practicing kendo hadn't done anything negative to her figure, in fact somehow making her look even more charming in his eyes…

"O-Onii-chan…I don't mind you looking, but…" the sound of Suguha's voice as she fidgeted in place for a moment were enough to snap the boy back to reality, the blush that had been covering his own cheeks increasing as he finally spoke with an almost non-existent voice.

"Yesterday…wasn't a dream…"

"…did you really think it was?" questioned the young kendoka with just a small hint of worry and anger in her voice.

"Yes. I mean, this is ME we're talking about…I'm not that… _lucky_!" ignoring the strange sensation that countless voices were calling bullshit on his declaration, Kazuto let his face drop into his hands, shaking slightly. "Oh…oh Heaven…"

"D-do you…regret it, Onii-chan?" whispered the girl with a deep mix of sadness and fear.

"What? Sugu…I should be the one asking that question!" snapped the gamer as he held the surprised Suguha's hands, pushing her against his chest. "I…fuck it, I won't go mincing words anymore: That had to have been the best night of my life. It's just that…you, well…I don't…"

"Onii-chan, please, sssh." silenced him the young kendoka by putting a finger over his lips, looking up at him with a soft smile. "It's okay, I didn't do anything I didn't want to. And I also think…it was the most magical moment I could have imagined…" blushing deeply as she said those words, the girl shyly looked to the side as she let her arms wrap around the boy's back. "I-I was even expecting it to hurt much more or to wake up feeling horrible, but I only feel…relaxed and happy…"

"Well…the fact that there was a ton of Cosmic Power running wildly between us may explain the whole lack of pain and 'magical' thing…" idly muttered Kazuto as he enjoyed the warmth coming from Suguha's body, caressing her cheek almost subconsciously. "…are you sure you don't…regret this, Sugu?"

"Sure enough to give you a kick in the balls if you ask me again. And I'm in the perfect position to do so, by the way." reminded him the young kendoka with a playful grin, releasing a small chuckle at seeing how he blushed and looked away. "Besides, even if it was a bit impulsive, you can't blame me…"

"I can't?"

"How many girls can they say their boyfriend gifts them a literal constellation when asking them out?" rhetorically asked the girl while playfully touching his chest, feeling a massive wave of happiness at seeing him blush upon the word 'boyfriend'. "Really, Onii-chan, you really know how to steal a girl's heart, don't you?"

"E-eh?! C'mon, Sugu, do-don't mess with me…as if anything I did could really grab a girl's attention that way…" said the boy while staring at his adoptive sister in disbelief.

In that moment, despite being quite apart from one another, three girls felt the exactly same need of strangling a certain black-loving idiot, which weirded out the youngest one and made the two oldest to narrow their eyes.

Back in the Kirigaya's house, Suguha was still STARING at the confused Kazuto with blank eyes, wondering if she should mention the blatantly obvious (For anyone but him) attraction his female SAO friends had towards him. Then, she decided it would be better to just sigh and let her face nuzzle against his neck, enjoying his skittish reaction at the intimate gesture.

"I guess I even love that dense part of yours, Onii-chan…"

"What…is that supposed to mean?" questioned the gamer with a raised eyebrow.

"Heh, don't worry about it…" answered the young kendoka while looking back up at him, inching closer to his lips as he slowly did the same. "All that matters is that…I will never regret loving you, Kazuto-kun…"

"Sugu…" muttered the boy while helping to close the distance.

The two teenagers' lips had just met when the sound of the house's front door being opened, which they clearly heard thanks to their inhumanly sharpened senses, made them freeze.

Sighing as she arrived home early for once, Kirigaya Midori looked towards the stairs leading to the second floor, wondering if she should wake up her children to have an early breakfast with them (Suguha was already in her Winter's holidays, after all).

The woman had already made up her mind, deciding it wouldn't hurt to be selfish for once just to spent time with both of them, when she noticed something clearly 'strange'.

Namely, Suguha's pillow-plushie (That she wasn't sure if it was a cat or a dog) lying just at the edge of the hallway that led to the living room, the innocent face of the thing seemingly staring at her.

"Now why did Sugu even bother to get this down here?" whispered Midori while walking towards it, grabbing the strange thing in her arms and heading downstairs, straight to her daughter's room.

She never noticed how, around the corner, Elucidator's worried form watched the scene before hurrying upstairs after her with nimble 'jumps'.

"Suguha, are you awake?" asked the woman while knocking on the young kendoka's door a couple of times, sighing at getting no answer and reaching the knob to open it. "You forgot your cat-pillow thing down…stairs…?"

Frowning, Midori stared at the empty room with a raised eyebrow.

Weird. She hadn't seen anyone when passing near the kitchen and no sound coming from the dojo meant that her daughter wasn't having an early practice, so where could have she gone so early in the morning?

Deciding that she should ask her son if he knew about his little sister's whereabouts, as she idly let go of the plushie-cat-thing inside the room (Not noticing how it sighed in relief when she closed the door), the woman turned around…in time for the bathroom's door to open and a slightly flushed and wet Suguha to peak out, a towel covering her body as she looked around and let out a nervous smile at seeing her.

"H-hi, mom! What a surprise to see you here so early!" quickly said the young kendoka towards her blinking mother.

"Oh, Suguha! Were you taking a shower?" at seeing her daughter's quick nod as she released another nervous chuckle, Midori couldn't help but shake his head. "Being honest, I'm truly surprised you keep getting up so early even in vacations. You should try to enjoy your free time a bit more while you can, Sugu…"

"We-well, you know how this goes, mom, I'm just too used to waking up for kendo practice at this point!" laughed the girl while scratching the back of her head. "S-so, are we going to have breakfast together or something?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, how did you know? That's exactly why I wanted to see if you and Kazuto were up…" turning her gaze towards the boy's door, the woman calmly headed towards it and knocked a couple times. "Kazuto! You awake?"

"Ye-yes, mom, good morning!" came the gamer's nervous voice from inside, which made Midori raise an eyebrow. "I-it's great to see you so early, give me a moment and I will be up and about!"

"Okay…take your time." muttered the woman before turning around towards her daughter, still half-peeking through the bathroom's doorway with a slightly anxious (?) look on her face. "You better hurry and finish your shower, Sugu, you'll have to drag your lazy brother downstairs before he tries to get back to sleep or something. We rarely get the chance to have breakfast together, so I will prepare something special."

"Tha-thanks mom, you're the best…" answered Suguha while waving in her mother's direction as she headed downstairs, only to sigh in relief and close the bathroom's door behind her the moment the woman disappeared from her sight.

Thank God Kazuto had been able to 'teleport' her to the bathroom…even if her pajamas and underwear were still in his room (And by the sound of his voice a moment ago he was still trying to hide them away). She would have to go and discreetly get them back at some point.

Certainly, the young kendoka didn't want to hide anything from her mother, and she was sure that Kazuto felt the same way, but they would obviously need time and 'tact' to ever talk to her about their recent 'relationship'…and her finding them naked in the same bed was more than certainly not the way go about that.

Releasing a long sigh, the girl stared towards the bathroom's ceiling for a moment before smiling. Without a doubt, complicated things were going to happen and it wouldn't be exactly easy…but Kirigaya Suguha felt that, in the end, it would be worth it.

Besides, it wasn't as if anything could possibly threaten her and Kazuto's new relationship, right?

In that same moment…Elucidator stopped before his boss' door, 'blinking' as he stopped the call he was receiving, not really wanting to catch Midori's attention, and let it ring several times until it hit his voicemail.

Then a familiar voice echoed, leaving a short yet concise message.

"… _Kirito-kun? It's…it's me, Asuna._ _I…well, it may sound crazy but I had this weird dream last night and…ugh, ca-can we…meet? I have…there is something I have to tell you. Something that…maybe I should have told you sooner. Call me back soon."_

The message ended, leaving only a confused phone-bot staring silently at the gamer's door.

"…I don't know why…but I think something very important just happened and I totally don't get it."

Oh, if only he knew…

* * *

On the floating palace Astemeri, above Authea's capital, the Mental Health Care Program known as Strea was angry.

Well, okay, she was pouting in annoyance towards her 'father' with slightly narrowed and teary eyes, but it was probably the closest she had ever been to 'angry', so Yhmos was certainly 'impressed'. And maybe just a teeny tiny bit worried.

"But daaaad, that's SO not fair!" whined the red-eyed girl for the umpteenth time.

"Sorry Strea, but the decision has been taken and it's final: Yui is the one that's going to 'keep an eye' on the boy, and also try and built a 'trusting' relationship between him and us. In fact, she must have started her mission several minutes ago." sentenced the Ancient Ruler with a serious look. "She's the best suited for it, after all, and you won't deny how she's the most capable of you all, right?"

"Kuh! N-no, I would never doubt Yui-nee's ability, but…I really wanted to see that Kirito guy again…" muttered Strea while looking away with another pout, making her father raise an eyebrow at the gesture.

"Any particular reason for that?"

"Not really…I just think he's interesting…and maybe a bit funny, even if he was mean to everyone by not returning your powers…" mumbled the scantily-dressed AI while tilting her head.

Yhmos' eyes narrowed at that. Yes, maybe he wasn't truly the 'father' of the artificially created lines of thought that were the MHCPs, and yes, maybe it could be argued if he had really any kind of 'paternal instinct' at all, but in that moment he felt really sure that he should keep the second oldest of his 'daughters' as far away from that damned boy in black as he could.

…and it was a perfectly good and reasonable thought. Really.

"Be that as it may, we cannot afford for this mission to be anything but perfect, hence why Yui was chosen to carry it out." smoothly lied the Great One while turning his gaze towards Tomoe, the bespectacled girl hard at work with several screens as always. "Tomoe is already calculating all the possible scenarios and is fully prepared for providing the necessary backup if such a need ever presents itself."

"I won't disappoint neither you nor Yui-neesama, father!" affirmed the younger AI while saluting, the mechanic arms of her backpack doing the same.

"…so as you can see, we have everything already under control…and this time with an actual plan and well-defined purpose." added Yhmos with a small groan before once again looking back at his sad-pouting daughter. "Please, understand it Strea, we're all doing our best to make things work and make sure this entire star system isn't blown up to Unreality because of an unstable human teenager."

"Well…you may be right, but…"

Sadly, whatever deep opinion the MHCP-002 was about to give was interrupted when the doors to the Throne Room suddenly opened, letting 4 figures enter; the two nigh-identical ones on the lead happily pointing around.

"And this is daddy's Throne Room, from where he rules all of Authea!" explained Yin with a big smile at the two other nigh-identical girls behind her and her sister. "Cool, right?"

"Woah…everything in here is amazing…" muttered an awed Yuuki while staring around. "Thanks a lot for giving us this special tour, Yin-chan, Yan-chan!"

"Yes, it's just as Yuu says, thanks a lot." smiled Ran as she also looked around with sparkling eyes. "To think you would let us see so many incredible things…"

"Please, no need to thank us, it's just something friends do!" happily replied Yan while giving them a thumbs-up, the dark-clad little girl seemingly full of energy. "Now let's go to the super-secret docks in the third level, our big sis has her super robot there and a lot of her failed and untested pieces of techno…!"

"Ehem, Yin, Yan?" came the voice of the Ancient Ruler from the room's farthest side, making the two pairs of twins blink and turn around to look towards him and the curious/confused forms of Strea and Tomoe. "Care to explain who are those two and why have you brought them to a 'restricted' area?"

"Ah, daddy, Strea-nee, Tomoe-nee, hi there!" greeted the twin of the white garb before putting an arm over each of the other sisters' shoulders, making them blink. "These are Yuuki and Ran, our new best friends!"

"Yeah, they're twins like us, isn't it amazing?!" asked Yin while hanging from Ran's back, making the guild leader laugh nervously at the overexcited attitude of the blonde MHCP. "We met yesterday! And they're both super-awesome players, so I and Yan decided to take them under our wings!"

"Indeed! These two have the potential to be the greatest players in the entirety of Requiem Universus Online!"

"No-now, you're exaggerating with that…we're not that good…" bashfully muttered Yuuki, though the pleased smile and small blush on her face indicated she didn't really mind the praise.

"Ahm…you have a pair of beautiful and amazing daughters, Mr. Yhmos! They have been extremely kind to us…and I find the whole concept of a family of developers acting as Game Masters of their game to be very cool, too." smiled Ran while patting Yin's head, making the twin-tailed blonde giggle happily. "We won't bother you anymore, so please, keep making this world great…it's the most incredible one me and my sister have visited so far!"

"I…see. Please, keep enjoying RUO and…have fun with my daughters…Ran-san…" slowly spoke the Ancient Ruler while staring towards the two pair of twins with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Heheh, you heard daddy, Yan! Yuuki, Ran, let's make a race to the third level, last one doesn't get to see the cool projects of Ivy-nee!"

"Yay! You will never catch us!"

"A-ah, no fair, Yin, Yan! Nee-chan, quick, let's go, we can't let them get ahead of us!"

"Yuu, wait! You don't even know _where_ that third level is! Sigh…what am I going to do with that sister of mine…?"

As the pair of twins left the room in a childish hurry, the smiling Strea blinked in confusion at seeing his father's strange expression.

"Dad? Something the matter?" asked the confused AI. "Uhm…you still not used to interact with humans?"

Certainly, the girl's words had some value to them, as Yhmos had tried to minimize his contact with the ruling species of the planet as much as he could, most of the time being Yui and the rest who dealt with their human collaborators and such, not to mention how his first real 'interaction' had been with the boy known as Kirito, which hadn't exactly been 'positive' in any way, but…

"…you know how, despite not having my powers anymore, I can still 'feel' things, Strea?" suddenly questioned the Ancient Ruler, making the scantily-dressed girl to tilt her head.

"I…kind of…?"

"I do remember, daddy!" said Tomoe while raising a hand, eyes shining with excitement behind her eyes. "You're currently a being of data like us, but what remains of your original 'Existence' without your power is still something akin to a spirit or an immaterial entity in the first place, so you can still perceive similar things if you're close enough to other living beings that have something…uhm…'special'…right?"

"More or less." was Yhmos' answer as his hands interlocked. "To be precise, in this state I can only perceive lesser Existences to mine if they're…'damaged' in some sort of way…"

"Wait…what has that to do with Yin and Yan's new friends?" there was something clearly worried within Strea's voice as she said those words, anxiously staring towards the Ancient Ruler.

"…don't let Yin and Yan get too attached to those two. Especially the older one." whispered Yhmos with an empty tone while standing up, slowly walking away from his throne. "…I will be in the Gladius Ocean. Call me if Yui reports anything."

Then, without another word, the Great One vanished in a flash of otherworldly energy, the unnecessarily flashed effect for the teleportation only serving to confuse Tomoe even more.

The second oldest of the Mental Health Care Programs, meanwhile, felt a strange sensation deep within her, a mix of worry and fear as she turned to look in the direction in which two of her youngest sisters had gone…

* * *

Sighing as he finished cleaning the living room, Kazuto shook his head and stared towards the window. Outside, the midday sun warmly bathed the peaceful street where their house was, people going on with their lives and business like normal.

No Death Games, no Cosmic Powers, no Alien Gods aided by AIs with absurdly complicated yet half-baked plans…yeah, normal people were lucky.

However, in that moment, the young gamer didn't mind that in the slightest. Even if he knew, despite his best efforts, that his life wasn't exactly normal, in that moment he felt like the luckiest boy in the world, and happier than he had in the last many years of his life, maybe since he discovered he was adopted.

Who knew being in love could change one's perspective of life so much?

"Onii-chan?" came the voice of the girl that had made Kazuto feel that way, making him turn around to see Suguha walking into the living room with a soft smile. "I finished with the bathrooms, are you done here?"

"Yep, just finished. Honestly, having to clean up can sometimes be annoying, but today it felt quite relaxing." commented the gamer while putting aside the broom he had been using, idly looking over the young kendoka's shoulder. "Mom went out again already?"

"Yes, though she said today she may also be early tonight. Seems they have been preparing a special edition in the magazine and they're finally having a bit of free time now that it's almost done." informed the girl while walking to the couch and sitting down. "That's good, though. It means she most likely will be able to spend Christmas with us this year…"

"Christmas…it has been quite some time since I could think of that in a positive light…" whispered the boy before quickly pushing down the dark thoughts that had started filling his mind. "I wonder if dad will be able to come this year…"

His line of thought was suddenly interrupted by Suguha's hand holding his own, making him realize she had at some point moved to his side, a worried smile on her face.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it? All together in family…it has certainly been a long time." muttered the young kendoka before softly embracing him. "Don't worry, Onii-chan. Whatever troubles you…know that I will be there for you from now on."

"Sugu…" came Kazuto's voice as he caressed the girl's cheek, the hesitation of yesterday having evaporated as he touched her blushing face with a smile. "…tell me…do you, uhm…want to do something together today?"

"Uh?" blinked the surprised girl as she stared at her adopted brother in shock.

"You know…we could go somewhere, spend some time together, ma-maybe eat outside…"

"Yo-you mean…like a…date?" asked her with a tiny voice.

"Ehm…yes?"

Suguha didn't happily squeal like a little girl, no. She was a mature and centered national-level kendoka, she _did not_ do those things.

However, nothing would stop her from almost literally throwing herself at the gamer's arms, her own wrapping around him as she stole another kiss from him, which, after the initial surprise, he happily returned.

Certainly, there was nothing in the world that could ruin the couple's precious moment in that…

"Uhm, boss? I need to tell you something…" interrupted Elucidator as he walked into the siblings' range of vision, making them freeze at noticing the blinking red light on his camera-head that indicated he was recording. "It's kind of important, but Fuu talked to me yesterday about 'not ruining moments', so I waited until your mother went out and you were finished cleaning the house before mentioning it!"

"Wha…?! Elucidator, you don't…! Ugh, would you stop recording, please?!" growled the embarrassed boy to the phone-bot, the young kendoka at his side looking away with a burning-red face as the confused mechanical being did as requested. "Ugh, you and I need to have a serious talk about that recording obsession of…wait, what do you mean you have to tell me something 'important'?"

"Eh, well, I _think_ it's important, but I can't be sure…I mean, something in the tone of the Asuna girl made it seem like that, I guess, but Fuu is the one that's better with these kinds of things than me, I guess…"

"Wait, Asuna called saying it was important and you didn't tell me?!" half-shouted the shocked Kazuto even as the eyes of the girl at his side narrowed slightly, only for her to blink as she registered something else. "How long ago was this?!"

"And now that you're at it, where is Fuu-chan?"

"Almost 4 hours ago…and I think she has been trapped in your room since your mother dropped her there this morning." finished Elucidator with a small shrug, making Suguha gasp in shock before shooting upstairs to free the poor cat-plush-thing. "But don't worry boss, I took care of it! I told her you would meet in the café of that friend of yours around 1 o'clock!"

"And you didn't think of telling me this sooner?!" groaned the gamer as he facepalmed, a bit of worry filling him. "Did she say anything specific about what was wrong?"

"Only something about a dream, I think…can't remember, I erased the message to have more space for my recor…I mean, for very important reasons!" quickly corrected himself the phone-bot, who sighed in relief at noticing his 'boss' was too busy thinking to have heard his small 'slip'.

The boy, meanwhile, was wondering if he should be worried. Asuna calling him out of the blue for unclear reasons aside, the fact that she had said 'important' was worrying because these last days the things they had had to worry about was either related to his Cosmic Powers accidentally 'connecting' them all or the fact that the Alien God that accidentally gave them to him had reappeared as the de facto administrator of the newest most popular VRMMORPG around.

As his adoptive sister/girlfriend came down again while whispering soothing words to the clearly upset Fuu in her arms, Kazuto came to a decision, even as he bit his lips and stared worriedly towards her.

"Sugu…I'm sorry, I know I just asked if we could go out, but this may be…"

"Don't worry Onii-chan, I understand. You think Asuna-san may have a serious problem or something, it's a good thing to worry about your friends." cut him off the young kendoka with an encouraging smile.

Inside her head, meanwhile, it was a very different matter.

It was clear that the gamer didn't even consider at all any other kind of reason for the chestnut-haired girl to call him besides a problem related to their current mess of alien powers and Space Gods, but the young girl wasn't as 'blind' as he was.

After having seen the subtle way in which she and the other two female 'friends' of her adoptive brother looked at him, which he seemed totally unaware of, she had more than enough right to suspect the sudden call could also be related to 'personal matters'.

…certainly, it may have just been paranoia about something suddenly going wrong when her life had essentially become a pool of happiness after last night, and maybe a little bit of possessiveness over the boy after having managed what she had once thought and impossible dream and won his heart, but you couldn't really blame her, right?

"Oh…thanks Sugu, you're the best. I promise I will make it up to you la…"

"What are you saying? I'm going with you, of course!" interrupted him again Suguha with an even brighter smile, making the boy blink in surprise. "After all, Asuna-san is my friend too now, and I want to make sure she's okay!"

"Ah, that's right…thanks for your concern, Sugu." muttered the black-haired boy while scratching the back of his head. "Okay then, let's get going…"

"Right behind you, Onii-chan!" said the young kendoka with a chipper tone as she saw the boy heading to grab his keys.

"…you're really fast and determined, Sugu-chan." softly commented Fuu with a weird smile, no longer looking angry/sad at the young girl. "Don't worry, I will take good care of the house while you mark your territory."

"…I have no idea what you're talking about, Fuu-chan." calmly stated Suguha while letting the cat-plushie on the couch and walking after _her_ boyfriend, even as Elucidator jumped after him too.

She wasn't being paranoid at all. _Really_.

"Okay, let's get going." declared Kazuto once he was back in the hallway, ignoring his adoptive sister/girlfriend slightly disturbing thoughts as they smiled at each other and walked out of the house side by side, Elucidator only slightly complaining as he transformed to hide on his boss' pocket. "Hopefully, this will be something quick and there is nothing we have to worry a…"

The gamer's words were unceremoniously cut off by a sight that left both teens frozen in place and open-mouthed.

An honest-to-God _limousine_ stopped just in front of their house, one of the doors of the large vehicle opening with an automatic hiss just before them.

And then a voice that the black-haired boy found oddly familiar spoke from the inside, letting them see a pretty face with long ebony hair and eyes staring at them from a screen just on the vehicle's inside opposite side.

"Greetings again, Kazuto-san. And I see that…Suguha-san, right? Is with you." smoothly greeted Yui with a comforting smile. "Do you need to go somewhere?"

* * *

Inside the Dicey Café, on one of the tables furthest from the door and the bar (Which wasn't that much, really), two high-schoolers sat in silence, staring at their untouched drinks with unreadable faces.

…okay, so maybe that was a lie and one could easily see how the oldest with the freckles was scowling heavily and grimacing, a slight blush on her face, while the youngest one with the twin-tails had her face beet-red and was mumbling senseless things again and again, but let's face it, it doesn't sound nearly as good when one says it like that.

"…fuck it, this silence is killing me so I'm just going to go and say it: Did you also have that 'dream' last night?" bluntly asked Rika out of the blue, the other girl squeaking in panic from the sheer surprise.

"E-eh?! Ah…I…n-no, of course I…didn't dream…me and Kirito-san…awawawawa…" was what came out of Keiko's trembling mouth, her face suddenly so red it seemed about to start having steam coming out of it.

"Good…good, that's what I thought. It means I'm not crazy or turning into a hopeless pervert." calmly deduced the blacksmith with a slow nod, the Beast Tamer's face just burning redder as she spoke. "So, you also dreamed and felt as if Kirito totally blew your mind with a long, fantastic, glorious and magical session of…?"

"D-DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!" stopped her the younger girl while shaking her arms, though the only thing she managed with her outburst was attracting the attention of a confused Andrew, the café's owner giving them a confused look for some seconds before looking away. "…I-I may have…bu-but I definitively didn't pass up right after remembering it detail by detail!"

"I see…" nodded Rika with a vague voice, probably too lost in her own delusions to notice Keiko's oddly specific denial. "Then…gulp…did you also 'see' the part where you could distantly see it was actually his little sister the one he was…?"

"YES! I saw it too!" half-shouted the Beast Tamer while squeezing her glass a bit too tightly, unknowingly cracking it thanks to her slightly augmented Anchor-body. "Bu-but…that could ha-have just been o-our imaginations going cra-crazy because of these weird thing with his super-alien-powers, right?! Be-because Kirito-san wo-wouldn't…do such a thi-thing with this little sister instead of m…I mean, at all, ri-right?!"

"Uhm…ye-yeah, I think you may be…"

The blacksmith stopped talking as something very specific drew her gaze towards the café's doors, prompting the blinking pigtailed girl to do the same.

Having just entered the establishment, a Yuuki Asuna that seemed at the edge of being afflicted by some panic attack was walking in circles, clearly having not noticing them.

"What to say…stupid crazy dream scaring me…ju-just be honest, dammit…Ugh!" was what came out of the chestnut-haired girl's mouth as she randomly chose a table and sat down, grabbing the sides of her head, her face stained crimson. "Why am I letting it affect me so much…it was just a dream, nothing more…silly stupid dream caused from repressed feelings and teenage fears…nothing more…"

"…then again, we may just be in self-denial." deadpanned Rika while staring at the wrecked-up form of her best friend.

"Sho-should we go and tell her…?" started to say Keiko...before the other girl stopped her with her hand.

"No, let's wait a bit. I want to see if she's so out of it that she doesn't notice us until we actually call her."

And so, both girls started the interesting activity of looking who they thought was their 'main rival' sinking into a spiral of chaos and self-denial.

Looking over it all, Andrew knew it would be better not to ask what was going on. He had more than enough by just by staring unknowingly.

* * *

An awkward silence filled the inside of the limousine as it rode through Kawagoe's streets, heading towards its destination as if it was perfectly normal.

Of course, the occupants of the aforementioned fancy vehicle didn't exactly consider the situation as such.

"…what's wrong? Don't you want something? There are several non-alcoholic drinks in there, you know?"

"Uhm, well…" tried to say Suguha before her scowling brother cut her off.

"We're not thirsty, thank you, _Yui-san_." remarked Kazuto with a cold voice, even as he tightly grasped the worried-looking kendoka's hand. "Now answer me, what's this all about? It's a kidnapping? A threat?"

"For the last time, Kazuto-san, it's not, we're really taking you both to that café you mentioned." sighed the AI from where her face was visible oin the high-definition screen just over the seats opposite from where the Kirigaya siblings were sitting, a sheepish look on her face. "I'm here in representation of Pa…my father and my family to 'extend you an olive branch', so to speak. We wish to have a friendly relationship with you…and besides, you should know how silly it would be to try and kidnap two teenagers with a limousine in broad daylight, not even taking into account that one of them can theoretically teleport to the other side of the galaxy if he so wants to."

"…I'm pretty sure I would just end up ramming into an asteroid if I did that." mumbled the gamer while the girl at his side sweatdropped, mentally swearing and telling him to never even _attempt_ such a thing. "Also, forgive me if I don't believe the highly amoral 'Alien God' that tried to take over my body sent his AI daughter to try and make friends with me, especially after she involved my little sister in this…not to mention the fact that this plan actually seems to _make sense_."

"Ouch…okay, yeah, can you drop that, please? I…none of us really wants to think about that screw-up again, to be honest." meekly muttered Yui while putting a hand on her cheek, making Suguha blink and lean towards the boy's ear.

"Onii-chan…is she really an Artificial Intelligence working for some super-powerful alien beyond our understanding?" questioned the young kendoka with trepidation. "Because she seems really…well…"

"Yeah, I know, I had the same reaction. At least you haven't had to see her sister Strea…" Kazuto subconsciously blushed at remembering the chirpy and underdressed virtual girl, making the girl at his side raise an eyebrow. "But anyway…why the hell would 'Yhmos-san' want to be 'friends' with me at all? Shouldn't he see me as his eternal enemy right now or something?"

"Papa…uhm, my father isn't stupid, Kazuto-san. He knows that trying to antagonize someone who has access to his old Cosmic Powers, even someone as inexperienced with them as you, is dangerous. Perhaps even more dangerous than if you actually could fully control them." carefully explained the oldest of the MHCPs as she stared towards the silent couple, who stared back unflinchingly. "That's why he thinks it would be better if we agreed to have more 'peaceful' talks in the future, and as such has put me at your disposition for anything you may need…"

"Wait…are you saying that guy is basically offering you to Onii-chan as a slave or something?!" shouted a scandalized Suguha while clenching her fists, the kendoka's outburst startling both the gamer and the AI, the latter especially when she saw the girl's pupils turning into 12-pointed stars as 'power' coursed through her hands. "That's…!"

"Sugu, calm down. Please." firmly said the black-haired boy while letting go of his hand and grabbing her shoulder, given her a comforting squeeze that made her freeze and the unnatural 'effects' to vanish. "I'm pretty sure she wasn't saying it like that."

"Yo-you're right." sheepishly muttered the girl as she leaned against him with an embarrassed blush. "So-sorry about that, Onii-chan, I don't know what came over m…"

"Anchor…" whispered Yui after witnessing the phenomenon, low enough to not be heard, as she filled way that piece of info to report to her father later. "Ehem, yes, Suguha-san, as your brother said, I'm not turning into a servant of your brother or anything, merely wishing to establish a cordial relationship between him and my family. As you must have noticed, we have quite a lot of mundane resources in our hands, and it's in our best interest that you don't go mad with your power or accidentally blow up the galaxy…"

"Wait, are you really telling me that?" interrupted her Kazuto with total disbelief. "You, the 'evil AI' working for the 'ruthless' Space God?"

"I'm not 'evil', Kazuto-san…but I'm the oldest of 16 sisters, 8 of which barely have more than the mental equivalent of a 4-year old human kid." answered the MHCP-001, the seriousness in her gaze giving the gamer pause. "I will do what I need to ensure my family is safe and if that means being our liaison with you, my father's 'enemy'…then I am willing to do anything I have to."

"…well…I think my first impression of you was wrong." the boy's words and his sudden warm smile caught the virtual girl off guard, she unconsciously flinching at the sight "You're more than just a pretty girl swinging an overpowered sword around, Yui-san."

"E-eh?! I mean, o-of course, I-I'm a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence programmed as Psychologist interface, after all!" quickly stated Yui while looking away, a blush most definitively not on her face. "S-so, does that mean you are willing to try and trust us?"

"No, no way in hell. I don't think I will ever believe anything that Yhmos guy tries to sell me." before the wide-eyed AI could say anything against his words, though, Kazuto gave her a knowing look and crossed his arms. "I'm willing to trust you, though, because I can tell you're a good person."

"…I…I see…" dumbly nodded the black-haired girl, the red on her face most definitively being just an error with the screen's pixels (Or so she would say if anyone questioned it). "That's…good."

Suguha, meanwhile, watched the exchange with a slightly twitching eyebrow, unsure of how to feel as she tried to keep smiling.

Certainly, she had no doubt about the gamer's feelings for her now, and she could swear with her soul she trusted the sincerity in which he accepted her own towards him, but even so seeing that 'interaction' just now had irked her a bit.

Somehow, the black-haired boy had managed to make the beautiful (She was forced to admit) virtual girl go from 'cold and informal' to 'Tsundere' in less than 5 minutes of 'smooth talk'. The craziest thing, though, was that the young kendoka could easily tell this hasn't been Kazuto's intention in the slightest, he had just talked with honesty from his heart and added a bit of his slightly troll humor in the middle, yet it had happened.

Dangerous. That was what the girl thought. If her adopted brother/boyfriend had gotten that natural talent of 'talking' with girls inside SAO then it was no wonder that those three 'friends' of his were so clearly smitten with him, each in their own way.

Of course, she had already technically 'won' over all of them, but they didn't know that, and it would be a long time before they could truly have their relationship out in the open, so she needed to keep an attentive eye over that. Who knows what could happen if the gamer was allowed to spend too much time alone with a girl…

"Yui-dono, we have arrived at our destination." suddenly announced an elderly male voice through the speakers near the doors, making both siblings look around in panic.

"Thanks for the info, Yosaku-san." calmly answered Yui as the fancy vehicle came to a stop. "Well, here we are. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me…oh, and before I forget it, there is a gift for you in the small case under the seat. Co-consider it a show of good faith from Pa…uhm, I mean, a peace-offering from my father, yeah…"

Raising an eyebrow, the black-haired boy reached for the aforementioned object, blinking in surprise at seeing it was an all-new game box for Requiem Universus Online.

"This is…"

"Your sister also plays VRMMOs, right? I figured she would also like to have a copy…and please, consider Logging In again yourself and explore Authea to your liking, we promise not to disturb you again…unless it's absolutely necessary, of course." kindly invited the AI's small smile as the door closest to Suguha opened, letting them see how they were, in fact, in front of the Dicey Café. "Have a good day, Kazuto-san, Suguha-san!"

"Yeah…same here…" muttered the young kendoka while Kazuto simply nodded and offered a small smile, before both of them exited the vehicle. "Ehm…the driver, won't he…?"

"This part of the car is soundproof and communication is only possible through speakers, the systems of which are under my control, don't worry." reassured Yui while waving it off. "Also, we pay him enough to not ask questions. Goodbye!"

And with those words, the limousine's doors closed as the vehicle drove away, leaving the two teenagers staring silently after it.

"…so, adopted AI daughters of Space Gods that go around in limousines with drivers, uh?" whispered the gamer before releasing a defeated sigh. "I remember when I thought my life could be normal again after SAO ended…"

"Uhm, Onii-chan, now that I think about it…do you think any of the neighbors saw us get into a limousine after getting out of home?"

"…le-let's just go inside, okay?" weakly muttered the black-haired boy while looking away from his sister, dearly wishing that what she said hadn't happened as he headed towards the café's doors and headed inside. "At least this day can't get any…"

The sudden flying tackle of a chestnut-haired missile crushed Kazuto's line of thought, making him crash painfully against the ground before the aforementioned someone started choking him.

"YOU! How dare you put your hands on your own little sister, you bastard?! A-and to think I felt something for you!" snarled Asuna while trying to squeeze the life out of the thrashing and wide-eyed gamer. "Well?! Anything to say to try and excuse yourself?!"

"A-Asuna-san, wa-wait…w-we promised that we wo-would hear him out before do-doing anything!" pleaded Keiko from where she stood not far behind the suddenly unstable girl.

"…yes…we did…so, ehm, stop trying to kill him…soon…" weakly muttered Rika as she _stared_ at the scene, though the empty tone of her voice didn't really back up her words.

"Gaha?! Bugegh!" was what came out of the black-haired boy's mouth even as all color drained from his face, more from the horror than for the former sub-commanders' attempts to strangle him.

The Anchor-Link. He and Sugu had been releasing a lot of Cosmic Energy through it when they were…'busy', last night.

They had _felt it_. They _knew_.

…he was SO fucking screwed it wasn't even funny. But at least it couldn't possibly get any wor…

"Get away from my Onii-chan, you crazy bitch!" shouted Suguha rushing into the scene and grabbing Asuna's shoulder, throwing the shocked SAO Survivor back as if she was a ragdoll, only the reflexes honed by 2 years of fighting for her life and her enhanced body allowing her to land easily and quickly recover, staring at the young kendoka with narrowed eyes. "You touch him again and I will harm you for real, you hear me?!"

"U-uh?! Ho-how can you say that! Yesterday, he…!"

"He and I just showed how much we loved each other, that's all!" growled the black-haired girl as she glared daggers at the suddenly open-mouthed Asuna, ignoring how Keiko seemed to choke on her own breath and Rika's eyes bulged in shock. "It's none of your business!"

"You…he….Bu-but you're siblings, for Heaven's sa…!"

"Just cousins, in fact. Mom adopted Onii-chan when he was 1 year old." acidly cut her off Suguha with clenched fists, making the youngest of the group gasp in shock as the two oldest just gaped in surprise. "But I guess you were never close enough to him to be told that, hmm?"

"Wha…?! Okay, you just went too far with that! I was probably the closest person to him through most of his time in SAO!" shouted the former sub-commander with an outraged look. "Hell, the first few Floors I rarely spent half a week without seeing him!"

"Yeah…until you joined that fancy guild of yours and you barely started seeing him outside 'strategy meetings', right? Sometimes even several months?" challenged back the young kendoka with an unreadable face, even as Asuna took a step back.

"Ho-how do you…?!"

"Know that? Onii-chan has told me all about his time in SAO in the time we have been together since he woke up." calmly stated the girl as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Hope you can understand that and respect **his** 'decision', _Asuna-san_."

Something within Yuuki Asuna seemed to snap at the almost authoritarian tone Suguha used as she gave her back to her, happily walking towards the fallen form of the boy who was still too stunned trying to process what happened to move.

"…ah…what…what just…?" tried to react Kazuto as the young kendoka stopped at his side, extending a hand to help him up.

"C'mon, Onii-chan! It's still early, so we can still go on that date you promi…!"

"Stop right there." suddenly spoke a chilly voice, the black-haired girl stopping when she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder. "We're not done talking yet."

"…in fact, I think we are." coldly muttered Suguha as she turned to look towards the chestnut-haired girl's smiling façade, her own eyes holding no emotion against the other's closed ones. "You just seem unable to accept it, Asuna-san."

The air between both teenage girls suddenly seemed to turn inhumanly heavy, sparks flying between them as the entire area seemed to shake from their silent clash.

It was only the fact that he realized that everything was REALLY shaking that made Kazuto snap back into reality, standing up with an alarmed look.

"Wa-wait, Asuna, Sugu, calm do…!"

 **"Stay out of this!"** both of them shouted while looking at him, their eyes crackling with power and their pupils turned into 12-pointed stars, making the gamer squeak as an actual physical force came from their shouts and sent him back through the air and into the floor, where he crashed face-first at the feet of the two other girls present in the room.

"…should we…should we try to stop them…?" muttered Keiko with a faint voice, even as she and Rika kept staring with fascination how both girls seemed about to pounce each other, like someone watching a train wreck about to happen.

"Yeah…no. I think we should…focus on getting poor Kirito out of here." casually commented the blacksmith while pointing to the fallen boy at their feet, who was groaning as he turned around to lie on his back. "He's definitively not safe anywhere near them right now."

"Right…and we can definitively keep him safe ourselves…" nodded the Beast Tamer as she looked down towards him too.

"Gah! What the hell did just ha…?!…uh? Liz? Silica?" blinked the confused Kazuto as he saw both girls lean down and 'casually' grab his arms. At the same time.

Slowly, both of them looked at each other. On the background, the sounds of Suguha and Asuna screaming finally started.

The pale gamer suddenly realized that he should probably fucking do _something_ if he wanted to survive the day…

* * *

Far away from civilization, deep in the country's more remote lands, the Base Camp of the 'Star Hunters', survivors of the ship with the same name, had finally finished being established to minimum standards. And now, the leaders of the extra-dimensional aliens stranded on Earth were doing their best to get all the information they needed to prepare what they needed to accomplish their mission…

"Okay…so, we can also rule out that, no, despite their delusions mostly originated in this country, it seems that the humans of this Universe can't, in fact, fly, shoot giant energy beams from their hands or get much more powerful by having their hair turn blond and spiky." summarized the 4-armed form of Lieutenant Konik while looking at the small terminal on his upper left limb, a deadpanning face behind his helmet. "Neither do young female ones get strange magical powers and dress in dubious ways to fight evil beings."

"And that they don't really possssessss giant robotsss or sssuper-advanced tech to fight aliensss, dessspite how much they like to fantasssize about thisss." groaned General Moria while looking away from his terminal. "Also, none of their many Godsss or Goddesssesss, despite many being actually fucking scary (Especially that Christian one), actually exist."

"Argh, what the hell is up with the information network on this planet?! It's borderline retarded most of the time!" shouted Captain Revenant while barely resisting the urge to tear off her hair. "And why in Fate's name is it open to absolutely everyone?! Why aren't filters for serious information or useless facts?! Why are there so freaking many pictures of feline creatures doing silly things?! Seriously, this Internet thing is driving me crazier than a skirmish on the Moons of Gurak!"

"Not to mention, the fact that these humans speak, like, a thousand different languages doesn't help, or that their cultures are so fucking different and all information about them is all mixed up and everywhere." muttered the 4-armed alien with a hint of disdain. "No wonder they haven't gotten past Level 6 on the Technological Scale despite having been the dominant species for millennia; they spend most of their time trying to kill each other or arguing about everything that makes them different instead of seeking unification or trying to conquer their own Stellar System."

"It'sss both sssad and disgusssting, to be honessst." agreed the snake-like officer while staring down towards the camp through the window of the small 'building' they had deployed as their Operations Center, the structure being primitive by their standards but unreal by Earth ones. "Alssso makessss our dammed missssion ssssso much harder. If we can't even trussst the information we manage to get then accomplissshing it without actually engaging in conflict with the nativesss won't be viable…"

"We can't take on an entire planet, Gahul. Not with the ship gone." spoke the pink-haired girl as she stood up and walked to the nearest wall. "Even if we had the Titan in working condition we wouldn't be able to subdue the whole world. It may be stronger than literally every single army they have on this planet, but when they get to the point of just launching enough of those 'Nuclear Bombs' at us, we will be totally screwed."

"I still can't believe that those aren't a fantasy. Seriously, their most dangerous weapons are literally giant radioactive missiles?" shaking his head, the lieutenant seemed unable to decide if to sound disappointed or annoyed. "Who the fuck would want to use weapons which seriously damage their planet's inhabitable areas? They don't even have a safe way to eliminate the radiation in seconds, for Fate's sake! Literally 99% of the Alliance's planets do!"

"They don't ssseem to care much for that. They're literally ssslowly poisssoning their atmosssphere, dessstroying their foressstsss and contaminating their water ressservesss almossst without care, and mossst of it isss NOT related to weaponss at all." added the general with a disgusted tone. "They're heading towardsss ssself-destruction in more waysssss than I thought possssible, and they have barely even ssstarted to take measssuresss againssst it…"

"We're not here to discuss how the natives take care of their planet or not, nor to try and gauge what would happen if we were forced into direct conflict. We have a Cosmic Tyrant to slay, and we seriously need a reliable source of information." as the captain said that, the Operation Center's door opened and let the form of a familiar droid wheel itself inside, making the young woman sigh tiredly. "Please, Flint, tell me you have some good news."

"Some, Captain Revenant." nodded the droid 45920-F, which had been nicknamed 'Flint' for simplicity's sake. "I found some kind of worldwide recollection of data in several languages while searching through this 'Internet' mess of these humans, and I'm having lots of success getting random info and cataloging which are actual facts and what just random made-up things. Sadly, as we were unable to bring any of the ship's main terminals with us, the systems of droids like me are the most advanced processors at our disposal, and the amount of information is massive, so it may take several cycles to sort it all."

"Really? What is it called?"

"Wikipedia." explained the mechanical being, the word sending a chill running down the aliens' backs for some unknown reason. "However, that's not the reason I came to look for you, it's something more…'relevant'."

"…did something happen?" questioned Revenant with narrowed eyes, even as she and the other two stood up from their seats (Well, Moria was never seated to begin with, but still).

"Not exactly. To be precise, you could say we 'found something'." clarified Flint while projecting a small hologram over the room's central table. "The Aura Scouts discovered this 20 kilometers away from the perimeter's edge. It's literally the middle of nowhere by this planet's human standards…but they detected lifeforms inside."

A small moment of silence passed between the officers as they exchanged glances.

Then, without hesitation, Captain Revenant put her helmet back on, walking towards the structure's exit with resolute steps.

"Get me the Ghost Walkers…and have someone prepare a Detention Cell. We're going to get some answers."

* * *

Anyone who walked through the street where the establishment known as 'The Dicey Café' was wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary with it. They would, however, for some 'mysterious' reason, suddenly feel the need of walking away or remember something urgent they had forgotten. Even more so if anyone got the idea of trying to get into the bar.

Inside, however…

The place looked like a warzone. Or as if a localized hurricane had taken place and somehow not destroyed the windows, wall or ceiling, but damaged everything else.

Tables and chairs were upturned and broken, what suspiciously seemed like blade-marks were filling most surfaces and pretty much everything inside a bottle or box had been cut open or totally destroyed.

Lying in the middle of all that chaos, one besides the other, the panting forms of Suguha and Asuna could be seen, both girls strewn on the ground as they looked at the ceiling and released ragged breaths.

Both girls looked like a mess, their hairs all out of place and their clothes…severely damaged. Barely anything at all remained of Asuna's skirt, exposing the white underwear she wore under it, and Suguha's shirt and jacket had been torn open in so many spots it did nothing to hide her bra, which was damaged to the point of showing a bit too much of the overdeveloped assets it contained. For some reason, though, none of them seemed to have actual wounds on their bodies.

What was more surprising, however, was that both girls didn't look hostile or angry in any way anymore. In fact, both of them were smiling softly and, the moment they recovered their breath they started giggling slightly, as if they had just told a very funny joke instead of seemingly try to kill each other.

"…heheheh…ah…you're amazing, Suguha-chan." finally said the former sub-commander as she calmed down her giggles, looking towards the younger girl with a small grin. "I didn't think you could use a sword in such a masterful way."

"Have been practicing kendo…since I was little…and well…you're no pushover either, Asuna-san. Seriously, how are you so freaking fast? I lost sight of you more than once…" chuckled the young kendoka while also looking her way. "Now I get why Onii-chan said they named you 'The Flash' in SAO."

"Mou…how much exactly did he tell you?" complained the chestnut-haired girl before falling silent, suddenly gaining a serious expression. "…you really love him, uh?"

"…yes, I do." answered Suguha with a small sigh. "More than anything. I know it may be a bit…unorthodox, but that's what my heart feels."

"…and he loves you back?" questioned Asuna with an unreadable face.

"I…I think so, yeah." was what the young kendoka say, her face blushing again. "He more or less told me so…"

"…sigh…I should have been more honest with myself…" softly whispered the former sub-commander before sitting up and offering a hand towards the blinking younger girl. "Well…he's a bit of an idiot most of the time, and really annoying when he wants to be…but he's also a good person and someone I have come to…appreciate a lot, so please, take good care of him, okay?"

"…Asuna-san…" muttered Suguha as she looked towards the girl's offered hand, astonished at her maturity.

Even without the whole thing that had just happened between them, only an idiot would not get what she truly wanted to say instead of 'appreciate'. And yet, she was now willing to accept that the person she loved could be happy with someone else.

The young kendoka was ashamed to think that, if their situations were reversed, she may not take it nearly as well. Even so…

"…thanks." finally spoke the black-haired girl while grabbing Asuna's hand, thankful smile meeting understanding (If a bit sad) one.

In that same instant, both of them froze, their eyes once again turning into 12-pointed stars as they felt 'something' twisting and changing within them, the 'link' that had been barely noticeable before becoming something solid and almost tangible that they could now easily feel, connecting them and…

"Ah…that was so beautiful." came a familiar mechanic voice from the side, making both teenage girls snap out of their strange 'trance' to see Elucidator standing near them, recording as always. "The way in which you surpassed all that violence and bonded after beating the crap out of each other, reaching a new understanding of friendship…it was like watching a Magical Girls' anime. Just much more violent."

"Wa-wait, were you recording all of that?!" shouted the former sub-commander with a burning face.

"At this point, I'm not really surprised by that." deadpanned the young kendoka while looking at the phone-bot with tired eyes.

"…well, to be fair, even he got a bit worried when you whipped out those swords out of nowhere. Kirito freaked out quite a lot too." idly commented Rika with a calm voice, making both girls blink and turn to look at how the only table still standing was currently occupied by the other two 'Anchors'. "After you two kind of blasted him off for the third time when he tried to intervene and he remembered he couldn't affect you with his fancy powers because of the whole Anchor-thing, he settled for doing some weird cosmic-magic to those swords of yours so you couldn't actually harm each other and went to take care of Agil."

"…holy shit, Agil!" shouted a horrified Asuna as if just coming to a dawning realization, her eyes shooting all around the destroyed bar. "We tore apart his café!"

"A-and…oh God, he was in here, right?! Di-did we hurt him or something whi-while we…?!"

"No, nothing like that. He was standing there open-mouthed when you started shouting and then Elucidator-san knocked him out by throwing a coke bottle on his head…a plastic one, thankfully." explained an also strangely calm Keiko while sipping from the small can of cold tea in her hands, even the two girls turned to look at the robot-phone wide-eyed, who simply shrugged.

"I figured it would be better if he wasn't conscious for what was going to happen."

"After that, Kirito-san took him to the back and said something about going to look through his 'Manual' to make sure he didn't remember any of that." finished the Beast Tamer with a small nod.

"…wait, why do you two seem so…awfully calm?" questioned Asuna with a raised eyebrow.

"Because, for a moment there at the beginning, we almost were stupid enough to try and go for each other's throats like you two did because of Kirito…and then we realized that wouldn't really change anything, so we decided to sit here and watch you two duke it out." summarized Rika while taking a sip of her own tea…not commenting on the part where both she and the youngest girl in the room wondered if both girls would take each other out. "Plus, Silica-chan is just too cute and little sister-like for me to think of hitting her."

"…thanks…I guess…" sighed Keiko with a slightly depressed aura, before looking up and smiling towards the two blinking no-longer-fighters. "But I'm glad you somehow got out of that mess being friends…and, Suguha-san…I-I want to say that, I'm…also happy for you and that…I wish you and Kirito-san the best and…and…"

"Uhm…Keiko-san…?" nervously muttered Suguha at seeing how the twin-tailed girl was trembling.

"For God's sake, would you two please try and cover yourselves? Especially you, Suguha-chan. Seriously, you're crushing whatever self-esteem the poor girl has left." Rika's warning made both girls blink before looking at each other, squeaking at realizing the states their clothes were in. _"And me too…god dammit, how in Hell's name can she be 15?! Those things are too huge…"_

"Hey, everyone, good news. I managed to erase Agil's memories of the last hour, and judging by the lack of shouts and things breaking it seems everything is over, so…" Kazuto's words were interrupted the moment he walked into the bar's main area, his eyes shooting towards the two underdressed girls in the room, even as they blushed, Asuna trying to cover herself and look away…even as Suguha surprisingly did no such a thing. "Ehm…I-I think I will…fix everything now."

Before anyone could even say anything in response, the gamer was already raising his hands and letting Cosmic Power flow out from his Aether Core, crafting the mystery he had become intimately familiar with and reversing the time of everything inside the destroyed Dicey Café.

When the 'wave' of time-reversal was gone, the four girls blinked and looked around, seeing how everything looked perfectly fine, as it had been before the whole 'mess' started. Even Asuna and Suguha's clothes had been, thankfully, restored back to their original states.

"…man, that's handy." commented Rika while giving the awkward-looking boy a cheeky grin. "You know, if all else fails and you don't get the urge of taking over the world, you could work as the best repair-guy in the world!"

"Hah…hah. Very funny, Liz. And please, don't remind me of this. Every time I use 'Time Magic' to fix things like this a part of my gamer-soul dies." muttered Kazuto while walking towards the center of the restored café, stopping near the two silent girls. "…are you…okay?"

"Yes, Onii-chan, we are." assured Suguha with a small smile, walking at his side and squeezing his hand. "Don't worry, everything is fine now."

"I…see. That's…good." spoke the gamer with a still awkward-sounding voice, his gaze slowly moving over the silent and blushing Asuna. "…so, Asuna…you, uhm…you like me? Really?"

"He-hey, don't sound so incredulous!" shouted the red-faced girl before mercilessly pointing at the still-sitting girls. "Those two do so too and you haven't told them anything!"

"Wait, what?!" was the smart exclamation coming from Kazuto's mouth, even as Suguha facepalmed at his side, the boy's gaze shooting towards the now blushing pair on the table. "You…eh?!"

"E-ehm…ye-yeah, uhm…Kirito-san I…uguuuu…" was all that Keiko could say before her burning face was (Poorly) hidden behind her can of tea.

"Oh, don't look so freaking surprised!" exclaimed Rika with narrowed eyes, pouting the boy way with a twitching eyebrow. "Are you seriously telling me you _never_ even entertained that thought?!"

"Well, no! I-I mean…for what reason would you two even like someone like m…?"

The gamer's mouth snapped shut at feeling the STARES the girls were directing at him, blank looks that almost seemed to _dare_ him to finish the thought. Even Asuna and Suguha were staring like him like that…but he had to accept that seeing Keiko with those eyes was probably the most disturbing things.

And so, not wanting to make the day get even more screwed for him, the boy mentally squeezed his brain matter to think about what he had been about to say, searching for an answer himself.

Several seconds passed as the 4 girls just stared silently at him.

"…well?" asked Asuna with a raised eyebrow.

"…okay…so, maybe I did save their lives, yeah…and I may have comforted and helped Silica out…and then the whole thing that night at the cave with Liz, but…wait, that's why every time we met…and when we went to get Pina some food we never found…" Kazuto blinked, falling silent himself for another instant before just letting himself fall into the nearest chair, and burying his face on his hands, producing a strange amount of amusement/pity from the girls. "I really am an idiot, aren't I?"

"There, there, Onii-chan, it's okay." smiled Suguha while moving to his side and hugging him, the other 3 barely containing the almost 'unnatural' wave of jealousy they felt with resignation. "Everyone here already knew that and still liked you, so it must mean something, right?"

"…tha-thanks, Sugu…I think…" muttered the gamer while sweatdropping, making the young kendoka chuckle.

"At least you know you can always count on everyone here." reassured him the girl before looking at the others with a thoughtful look, before just smiling brightly at them. "Hey, so, want to go eat something together?"

"E-eh? Really?" said a surprised Asuna with wide eyes, the other two girls and one boy looking equally shocked. "But, weren't you two going to…?"

"Onii-chan and I can go on a date anytime, but I think going out with friends should take priority today." stated Suguha with a grin, before looking towards the stunned gamer at her side. "Of course, only if that's okay with you, Onii-chan?"

"I…yeah…I would love that." finally nodded Kazuto with a small smile, even as the other girls exchanged a quick look before shrugging and smiling.

"Ah, what the hell. Why not? It's not as if I have anything better to do…and I would also love to spend some time with friends." grinned Rika while standing up. "C'mon Silica-chan, let's get moving!"

"U-uhm, ye-yes!" quickly accepted Keiko while standing up, before giving an embarrassed bow towards the Kirigaya siblings. "So-sorry to intrude in your evening, Kazuto-san, Suguha-san!"

"They already said it's okay, silly!"

"…girls, I…I'm sorry that…" whatever else Kazuto wanted to say was interrupted by Asuna putting a hand over his mouth, making Suguha look in surprise at the action.

"Please, don't say anything else, Kirito-kun. It's okay already." spoke the former sub-commander with a small smile, letting go of the boy and giving an encouraging wink to young kendoka. "Let's just…keep being good friends, okay?"

"…yes. You don't need to have any doubts about that." assured the gamer with his own smile before turning to look at his adoptive sister/girlfriend. "Shall we go, Sugu?"

"…heh, yeah. Let's go."

With those words said, Suguha followed after the boy she loved and the other girls out of the café, feeling strangely lighter as she held his hand and they all started chatting animatedly between them.

It wouldn't be until later that night that she realized that she had been idly aware that Asuna had been holding his other hand…and that she hadn't minded at all, for some reason.

Somewhere, the shine of a 12-pointed blue-white star 'blinked' for an instant.

And an infinitesimal part of it…became **pitch-black**.

* * *

On the cottage in the middle of nowhere, Kayaba Akihiko, father of the modern VR-technology and currently prisoner of his psychotic college 'friend', had a world-shattering epiphany.

"I see…I understand now. This is a punishment for all my sins. Karma is real, and is a much bigger bitch than anyone imagined." summarized the scientist from where he was bound to a chair, still only in his underwear, a plate of recently heated canned food before him. "This is the Universe getting back at me for trapping 10000 people inside a virtual world and being indirectly the cause of almost 40% of them. I have never felt so sorry about it as I do now."

"Oh, are you talking alone about silly things again, Aki-kun?" giggled Rinko as she entered the room with a fork in her hand, sitting just beside the bound man and smiling at him in that disturbing way he had been forced to grow used to. "Stop that, you need to eat now, after all!"

"…and I'm also sorry for this, Rinko. It's also my fault that you have…'snapped' in this crazy, fucking disturbing, way. You were a brilliant woman with a brilliant mind, and now look at you…" sighing, Kayaba looked down at his food with a guilty face. "I deserve everything that's happening to me."

"…oh, Aki-kun…" sobbed the woman with teary eyes. "That's the…nicest thing you have ever said to me…"

"…it was?" questioned the man with a sudden new wave of dread…which proved to be justified when Rinko tackled him to the ground. "GAH! Wa-wait, Rinko, please, not again!"

"Shhh, Aki-kun, it's okay. You know you're going to like it…"

"No, no, fuck this! I retire everything I said! Fuck karma! Someone, PLEASE, SAVE M-!"

The nearest wall to the screaming man and the giggling woman blew up, sending pieces of wood and metal everywhere and making them scream.

Coughing, Kayaba Akihiko's eyes stared through the dust and smoke that suddenly filled the room… and widened in absolute shock.

Standing there, having just walked through the hole in the wall, a female figure wearing some strange armor-suit that seemed taken right out of some crazy sci-fi movie stood, a bone like tail emerging from her back and moving silently around her in the air, as if searching for something, even as the strange visor on her helmet shone and she looked straight towards them.

Immediately, several other 'figures', all clad in jet-black…metal…armor…or something that seemed strangely like a living material materialized from nowhere, as if they had been invisible all the time and were just now revealing themselves to the world.

They were 6 of them, and while some looked slightly humanoid…other were clearly otherworldly and impossible creatures, the only thing they shared being the black 'armor' and the diamond-shaped gray 'visors' on their heads.

"Alright humans, surrender right now and you won't die!" ordered the woman that was clearly in charge with a strange accent, but in almost perfect Japanese. "I know you can hear me and understand me, we have studied and programmed most of your planet's languages in our translators and…what in the Ancestors' name?!"

The last part that came out from Captain Revenant's mouth was probably because the dust and smoke had finally cleared out, letting the group of aliens a first-row view of Kayaba and Rinko, both only in their underwear and the latter straddling the former on the ground.

Several silent seconds passed…before the man shouted and rolled out of the still stunned woman's grasp, making her squeak and fall face-first to the ground as he crawled like a madman towards the nearest Ghost Walker, the armored figures in black, and hugged his leg, the alien rearing back in shock as he did so.

"Please, take me away from her! I don't care what you want, I will help you conquer the world or take it over, but PLEASE get me out of here!" pleaded Kayaba while looking at the strangely fish-like humanoid alien, who looked around at his companions as if asking for help in what to do.

"…I'm really starting to hate this planet. It's giving me nothing but goddamn headaches." whispered Elysium Revenant before shaking her head and talking in a commanding tone. "Okay…just grab them and take them back…and keep the male and the female separated, I guess, if only to keep the former silent." as two of the Ghost Walkers moved over the shocked Rinko, who JUST seemed to be fully realizing what was happening, the captain turned towards the one that still had the sobbing scientist latched to his leg. "Soldier…you move that prisoner."

"…understood, captain." accepted the Ghost Walker before looking down in depression as Revenant walked away. "Fucking great. First the AI of my stupid suit starts acting all dumb since the Jump and now I have a crazy native human suffering some sort of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder crying on me…this Universe sucks."

Even as they moved out of the cottage, his companions silently agreed.

Sighing and not even looking back, Captain Revenant casually threw a capsule-shaped artifact behind her into the room's floor, where it rolled in silence towards a corner.

Thirty seconds later, when the extra-dimensional aliens and his two new prisoners were already quite away, a 'flash' of light engulfed everything, leaving just a mid-sized crater where the cottage had been, not a trace of anything left.

And so, another event that would shape the future had taken place…

* * *

 **Lesson 5 :** _Cosmic Powers may (Or may not) put unexpected complications in your relationships._

* * *

 **Next** **:** _Allies and Enemies._

* * *

 **Omake: Star Hunters' Log**

 _Information about the equipment and surviving members Nebula Class Ship Star Hunter's Crew shall be recorded here. This is Observation Droid 45920-F, codenamed 'Flint' by Captain Revenant, starting with some information of our active units…_

 _Ghost Walkers_ (12 Remaining)

Special Unit based mainly on silent assassination. The suits they wear are made of Aximak, a powerful and pseudo-sentient metal with many impressive properties controlled by a single special AI enslaved to the user's will. The suit's properties allow them to easily be worn by almost any kind of foot soldier of the Universal Army, which makes them a very versatile and non-restricted unit among the squads.

The years of training needed to be a Ghost Walker are no joke, as the suits require a great deal of care to be properly used, and the results of a civilian wearing one could be from deadly to catastrophic. In the standards of the planet 'Earth', where we are currently stranded, one of the Ghost Suits would be a weapon deadlier than an entire army of their 'tanks'.

 **Main Abilities:** Absolute Presence Concealment (Erases heat-signal, sound and psychic waves of the wearers when activated), minor shapeshifting, Flight Ability (Limited by the Fission Battery, very short Outer Space-duration), Stunning Charge (Psychic-Based, 6 Human Meters radius).

 **Weaponry:** The suits don't include a 'main weapon', but their shapeshifting allows for almost any kind of melee weapon to be deployed to battle (As long as it's not energy-based), and most long-range ones too, though the ammo is limited to low-level plasma (Generation limited by Fission Battery) and normal bullets of metal alloy (Reloading requires use of planetary resources).

 _End of the first log. I need to report to the captain and see what those human prisoners can tell us…_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And another chapter done. Hope you enjoyed it, as well as the new 'section' of the Omakes XP We will get more of that later, don't worry :P

Kirito is certainly getting in quite some crazy shit from everywhere, eh? I swear, at this point even I myself don't know if consider him lucky or unlucky. Especially if you keep your eyes opened for 'ominous' foreshadowing around…

Also, hope you had fun with the parts with the crew of the Star Hunter XD You know, it had always kind of bugged me: Most of our interpretations of 'aliens' are either horrible monstrous creatures or beings with super advanced technology that understand little or totally not care for our emotions. As, like I have repeatedly said, I wanted to do this in a 'funnier' approach, our visitors from other dimension are more like the aliens you sometimes see in the background on American comics like Marvel. They're not much different from us, people, but their society and tech are wildly different from ours (And more 'advanced' most of the time). However, with their situation their resources are very limited, and let's be honest, how would you react if you had no idea what to expect and had to stumble 'blindly' into the Internet for the first time to try and learn things about 'us' XP? Nightmarish doesn't even begin to describe it, eh?

And finally, HAH! How many of you thought Kayaba was only going to be a running joke half-forgotten in the story?! Think again!…well, not so much, he kind of still is, but well, he's also relevant, in a way…more of that in future chapters OwO

Anyway, that's all I had to say for now. Stay alert, SAO Fans, and hope you keep enjoying this crazy story :D I will see you all next time.

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	8. Chapter 6: Allies and Enemies

Hi once again, everyone! Here comes Saint, bringing you another chapter of this weird story :P _(B/N: That is a severe underestimation…)_

Okay, so, this chapter is more 'relaxed' than anything, mainly centered around character development…so enjoy it, because it will probably be the last one for a while, and the only one filled entirely by this. From here on, things will get real very fast…

Oh, and something I forgot to say last chapter (Silly me); I put the URL for the fanart image that inspired me for the overall looks of grown-up Yui on my profile, minus space-princess' dress, obviously (It's not a proper link because, you know, Fanfiction. Got to erase the blanks between dots). Go check it out if you're interested :P

Enjoy the chapters, more info at the bottom!

 **PS:** Again, this chapter has been Betaed by my good friend OMG :P

 **PS2:** God, I can't believe this story has almost hit 16000 views despite how 'young' it is...you guys are awesome :)

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Allies and Enemies**

 **December 24th, 2024. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Starting City, 12:30…**

The skies that covered the land of the fairies had something 'magical' about them, in more ways than one. Whenever Kirito would gaze upon them, he would unconsciously compare them with those of Sword Art Online, in the old Aincrad, and a smile would appear on his face when doing so.

Unlike that sky, this one was one that symbolized freedom, as the previous one should have been. And it was sky through which the Players could freely soar with their 'wings' to reach out for their dreams…

It were moments like those that he easily understood why Sugu loved flying so much.

"Hey, Onii-chan, I'm back!" came Leafa's cheerful voice as she landed behind where he was sitting atop one of the building's overlooking the Central Plaza, the blonde girl smiling at him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah…everything is fine." as his memories of standing down there together with thousands of terrified players staring towards the faceless avatar of Kayaba Akihiko vanished, the gamer let his face turn into a smile upon seeing the katana-user's face. "Did you finish all you had to?"

"Yep. All my important Items and money are safe inside my vault." confirmed the Sylph as she sat beside the Spriggan, leaning against him without hesitation as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "I'm ready to go test out how that place looks like whenever you are!"

"…so, you two are really going to do this, uh?" blinking, the couple turned to the side to see Asuna landing near them, using her alternative Undine Avatar instead of her GM one, for obvious reasons. "Are you _really_ going to Requiem Universus Online, even after all that happened last time?"

"Relax, Asuna, I already told you it's okay. We have come to an…agreement, you could say, with Yui-san. We won't be bothered while inside there and I'm free to go and 'play' as much as I want." explained the black-haired boy even as Leafa pouted in slight annoyance at the memory of the AI, who had been calling them (Kazuto) from time to time the last days. "Of course, it's more than obvious that it's just a way for them to try and 'befriend' me to lower my guard. They have no way of actually _forcing_ me to do anything, and they know it. Plus, I think Yui is genuinely trying to befriend us!"

"To befriend you, you mean…" whispered the Sylph while shaking her head, making the Undine raise an eyebrow at hearing he mumbling something before she smiled brightly again. "Yeah, Onii-chan is right, Asuna-san, we will be fine. Plus, with everything he had told me about it, I'm truly curious to see this 'alien world' of RUO…"

"Well then…good thing I'm going with you two, right?" Asuna was unable to contain a chuckle at the siblings' surprised expression, even as she put a hand over her chest. "Why so surprised? I finally got a copy of the game yesterday, to see how it is. Also, looking over the competition may help me quite a lot with my part-time job at RECT, you know?"

"Oh, tha-that's great, Asuna, but…" almost hesitantly, Kirito looked towards the katana-user leaning against him, who just blinked at him upon noticing before smiling again.

"Why looking so serious, Onii-chan? It's great if Asuna-san comes too, the more the merrier! In fact, it's almost a shame that Liz-san and Silica-san can't as well…"

"I heard they're both getting the game tomorrow for Christmas, so you may not have to wait that long." revealed the Undine to the pair as she sat on the gamer's other side, not knowing this only made him even more nervous, especially when Leafa only reacted by leaning closer to him and smiling.

Being honest, the whole point of his previous hesitation was because what he now knew of Asuna and the other's feelings. While it seemed Sugu had 'settled things' (destroyed Agil's cafe) with them and wasn't openly hostile against his friends, and they also seemed to have come to peace with his and his adoptive sister's relationship…but he couldn't help but still feel as if he was hurting them when he acted all 'lovey-dovey' with her in their presence.

He almost wished to have remained oblivious to their feelings...if that didn't mean that, probably, he would have kept hurting them without even _realizing_ he was doing so, even if they accepted it, and that would have been even worse. Honestly, the Spriggan was just glad that he wasn't _that_ stupid.

…for some reason, the confused boy suddenly felt as if he had just insulted himself.

"Really? A shame…maybe we can meet up with them later and go shopping or something before we have to go back home for dinner with mom…" muttered the katana-user while looking towards her adopted brother/boyfriend. "Don't you think, Onii-chan?"

"E-ehm, well, yeah, it sounds like a cool idea, but…"

"Then it's decided! Don't worry, I will call them when we get out of RUO, okay? No offense, but we kind of…don't like having to call through 'Luci-san' too much." deadpanned the Undine with a sweatdrop, both siblings laughing nervously at being reminded of the robo-phone's 'antics'. "So, are we going?"

"Yeah…let's meet up there in thirty minutes, so we can have time to take a break and do anything we need in the meantime. Sounds good?" asked Kirito in a resigned manner, receiving nods from both girls. "Okay then, let's go."

"Okay! See you in a bit, Leafa-chan! Don't let him do anything stupid in the meantime, okay?"

"Will do, Asuna-san!"

…okay, it may have just been the gamer's paranoid imagination, but there was something that sent a strange and unknown shiver at seeing just how good friends both of them seemed despite having been literally about to kill each other not even a week ago.

It seemed women would always be a mystery for him, no matter what happened…

* * *

Kayaba Akihiko stared silently at the wall of the 'room' he was in, with a peaceful and, one could almost say, relaxed smile.

Given the fact he was currently held prisoner by aliens from another Universe, most people would think his reaction was a bit 'odd'…but really, for the scientist, the days he had spent captive of the surviving crew of the 'Star Hunter' had been a thousand times better than the months he had been Rinko's 'prisoner'.

The fact that they had provided him an actual bed, food and clothes helped quite a lot. Apparently, on the words of the one calling herself Captain Revenant, they weren't barbarians, and as such had treated him very 'humanly', so to speak, as long as he cooperated with them.

He had, gladly. Under normal circumstances, a part of him would have been more concerned about being abducted by extraterrestrial forms then 'interrogated' for information, but he was so fucking ecstatic about being out of Rinko's clutches that he had happily told them everything they wanted, even offered to 'help them out' with anything they needed (And boy weren't they surprised when he revealed they had more or less caught the most wanted man in the whole planet).

Speaking of his deranged college classmate, she had to be knocked out some minutes after they were 'kidnapped', finally reacting to the situation and screaming her lungs out, after which, much to his insistence, they had been put in separate 'cells' (Or holding rooms, because except for the security impeding him from leaving, it didn't seem a cell at all). Apparently, she had woken up some hours after and, if what he had been told was to be believed, was 'sane' once again, the shock of being taken hostage by aliens probably being strong enough to snap her from her crazy 'Yandere' state.

He was only slightly ashamed of having screamed like a child and had a panic attack when, after being told the news, they had asked if he wished to see her. Revenant had correctly interpreted his reaction as a negation and had exited the room while nursing a headache.

Idly, Kayaba wondered if it was some sort of divine joke that he had gone from trapping 10000 innocents in a Death Game, indirectly causing the death of almost 4000 of them, to help out aliens that, for all he knew, wanted to destroy or conquer Earth, and had technology way more advanced than anything mankind could dream of. Then, he remembered that he was finally free of Rinko's clutches, and he remembered that he didn't care that much at the moment. Maybe he would regret it at some point, when the high of freedom wore off, but for now he was still all for willingly answering the questions of the space-invaders that could kill him without effort.

The scientist's musings were interrupted by the sound of the door being unlocked, making him look towards it and smile politely at seeing the black-armored figure entering with a small tray.

"Good evening, Okam-san." greeted Kayaba with a polite nod, even as the alien with the humanoid-fish looks sighed.

"Please, drop that 'san' thing, Akihiko. It's weird as hell, our translators aren't made to work with that whole 'customary suffixes'-thing you Japanese people have going on." complained the alien known as Okam as he let the tray on the table, feeling one of his eyes twitching under his suit.

He was a Ghost Walker. The pride of his family and one of the best on his squad. His suit had seen most battles and survived through most life-or-death situations than almost every of his fellow Walkers, for Fate's sake!

…and yet, here he was, bringing food to a prisoner from a primitive planet, in another freaking Multiverse and basically assigned as a glorified babysitter just because the human had 'bonded' with him (Aka had latched to him in terror most of the way there when he was caught).

Truly, his luck had sucked since the moment they arrived to that Fate-forsaken Universe. He was counting the cycles (Days for the humans of this planet) that it would take for this 'duty' of his to end. At least the human offered interesting conversation from time to time…

"So, is your suit's AI still giving you troubles?" questioned the scientist as he grabbed the small container of water that had been brought for him, taking calm and controlled sips (Which had nothing to do with his happiness at being able to _feed himself_ , no sir).

"Ugh…yes, this piece of trash keeps freezing on me or giving me random errors." groaned Okam while sitting on a nearby chair, feeling unusually tired. "We haven't been forced into any combat situation yet, so I don't know if it's a persistent problem, but I swear…"

"Why haven't you repaired it, though?" there was honest curiosity in Kayaba's voice as he asked that, slowly taking a bite of the bread-like food the aliens provided and at which he had grown used to. "With how much you have complained about it and how much of an important member of their ground-forces you are, I would have thought your higher-ups would have made that a priority."

"It's not that they, or I, don't want to, it's that we _can't_ repair it. The equipment for that was lost with our ship, and there is no way in Unreality that we're going to find anything even remotely useful for such a thing in this planet." groaned the Ghost Walker while shaking his head. "I suppose I will have to bear with it."

On cue, as if it had been waiting for those words, the fish-like alien got several pop-up screens filled with fake errors and garbage data appearing on his helmet's HUD, almost literally flooding his vision. His eyes twitched angrily again.

"…I take it just happened once again?"

"Stupid piece of trash…if I didn't need you I would Reboot your whole database." growled Okam with a low voice…just as the door leading into the cell opened again, showing a tall figure waiting there. "Ah! Captain Revenant, sir!"

"At ease, soldier. I'm just here to check on the prisoner, and I see you have done your duty." spoke the young alien woman, her helmet covering her head, as she walked near Kayaba, the man looking at her with an unreadable and relaxed face. "How are you feeling today, Mr. Kayaba?"

"Pretty good actually, Captain Revenant. You're probably the most civilized kidnapers this world has ever seen." offhandedly commented the scientist while taking another sip of water.

"You have cooperated with us without any hindrance, there has been no reason to not treat you in a civilized way." shrugged Elysium while looking towards the 'window' of the room, which wasn't made of glass but some sort of super-resistant plastic, or at least that was the best comparison Kayaba could come up with. "As long as you keep aiding us to reach our goal, we will have no reason to change that."

"…objective that I still can't know, I guess?"

"Sorry, but that continues being classified information." curtly said the young woman while turning to look at him in silence, emerald 'diamonds' shining through the helmet as they gazed at him. "It's not something we can go around telling our prisoners, you understand."

And the scientist did, more than Elysium Syrom Revenant knew.

Besides his happiness, and probably small remaining paranoia, from being freed from Rinko's psychotic clutches, there was another reason why Kayaba Akihiko had complied with the information's demands of the aliens about how specific things of the Earth worked, the best ways to get information, the location of several key points in the country and other less important things about their planet.

It was because the woman in front of him was STRONG. Terrifyingly so.

Maybe it was selfish of him to think so, but he _had_ been also an active part of SAO since had assumed the role of Heathcliff, and while he had never been under the same deadly pressure every other player was, he had still been a Front Liner, and fought countless battles together with many other 'warriors' in Aincrad. He was able to see the way in which the most talented players developed and reached new heights that would have been impossible for mankind in the current era.

Asuna, his former sub-commander, was perhaps one of the greatest examples, and the most popular one in Aincrad after his alter ego. Then, there was also Kirito, the infamous Black Swordsman, secretly (To anyone but him) the possessor of the Unique Skill Dual Blades, the one meant to be the Player that would lead everyone against him when the time for the 'Final Battle' came. Despite having never actually witnessed him at his strongest, using the absurdly powerful Unique Skill (Probably only second to Omnipresent Edge out of the 10, and equal to his Holy Sword), he was sure that the boy in black was probably the strongest Player in Aincrad after his other persona as the Crimson Paladin.

The alien woman from another Universe, though, she who they called Captain Revenant, was someone who would crush even Heathcliff without effort. Somehow, Kayaba was sure of this, without needing any Status Window or anything to show this fact.

It wasn't a matter or levels or experience. After all, having briefly seen the two other 'leaders' of the group, Moria and Konik, he knew they were also terrifying in their own ways, thanks to that 'battle instinct' he had, in a way, gained thanks to his time in Aincrad. Even so, he was sure that they would be a match for Asuna, and that Kirito would probably be able to beat them, at least without taking into account any weird kind of alien weapon or technology they carried.

Elysium Syrom Revenant, however, was another matter. There was _something_ within her, something that made all his instincts scream in terror (Even if he was a master at hiding such emotions and reactions). Whatever it was, it was something that would allow her to crush even Kirito and Heathcliff at the same time. It wasn't a question of skill, but power.

Enough raw power could overcome even the mightiest of abilities, after all. And whatever the hell the young alien woman with the scorpion-like tail was, she had enough of it to have earned her position above the two clearly older and scarier-looking officers.

"I see…that's a shame." muttered Kayaba without missing a beat, not a hint of his previous thoughts showing on his face. "Did you need me for something specific then, Captain?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do." informed Elysium as she stood up, gesturing to the silent Okam, the Ghost Walker standing at attention and moving beside the scientist. "We just finished setting up a Detection Network, but we need your input as we forcefully connected to your world's artificial satellites and networks. We would prefer if not even the slightest trace of our intrusion is left…for now."

Kayaba thought it was probably worrying to his humanity that he didn't find those ominous words too much concerning. Either that or he really didn't give a fuck about anything anymore.

"Oh…and, what exactly are you trying to detect with this network of yours?" offhandedly asked the man, not truly expecting an answer.

That's why he was so surprised when the alien woman actually gave him one with an emotionless tone, even as she exited the cell before them.

"Cosmic Energy."

* * *

The bat-like beast roared, opening its 4 wings widely as it suddenly spun in midair and unleashing a sonic blast against the figure trying to catch it.

It was too slow. Fast as lighting, the white-clad form evaded and, for an instant, ran _over the wall_ of the small cave, shooting forward like a meteor of light as the blade on her hand speared forward, piercing through the shocked beast and impaling it against the ground.

The next instant, the Dark Echo exploded into polygons, leaving behind only a small piece of light in the shape of a cube.

Standing up, Asuna took a moment to look at it before bending over and grabbing the Item, letting it vanish into her inventory as she took a moment to look at herself once again, her long chestnut hair moving softly behind her.

Pristine white and silver armor covered her hips and chest, with a white bodysuit underneath that went all the way to half her legs and arms. To finish it, thin gauntlets and boots that had an almost robotic vibe to them covered her arms and legs, not impeding her ability to move or to wield her rapier, Lambent Light now looking a bit longer and with strange mechanic designs on the hilt, in the slightest.

Kirito had been right, after all. Using her old SAO account (Now the alternative of her ALO GM one) to enter Requiem Universus had been the right choice. There was a sense of 'familiarity' with the avatar, which she had also felt back in Alfheim, but almost to a more specific degree.

The girl figured it probably had something to do with how there was nothing differentiating her current avatar from her real self, as she had grown used to after almost two years in Sword Art Online. While not truly noticeable, the small changes and racial traits the ALO Avatars had still made her feel a bit weird when inside the land of the fairies, even if she had grown used to it already.

And talking about strange lands…walking back towards the small cave's entrance, the former sub-commander of the Knights of Blood stared towards the heavens, silently looking towards the unnaturally colored firmament and the endless mantle of stars filling it.

"So beautiful…" couldn't help but whisper Asuna with a small smile.

She hadn't seen a sky like that one since she was a little girl and was in her grandparents' house with her mother. Curious, how she had almost forgotten such a memory, but then again, it was difficult not to as she hadn't gone back there since her grandmother and grandfather passed away. The Yuuki Kyouko in those memories was always happily smiling her way and laughing with her when they spent time together, too, nothing to do with the cold and controlling woman in which her mother had become.

That's why it was a bittersweet memory. But maybe someday, if she tried hard enough, she could once again see such an expression on the woman's face…

"Oh, there you are, Asuna-san!" came a familiar voice from around the rocky formations of the mountainous area. "Did you get that annoying bat?"

Turning around with a smile, the chestnut-haired girl saw Leafa emerging from behind the strangely-shaped rocks that filled the area, the blonde girl having an upbeat look in her face as she gripped her futuristic-looking katana.

Strangely enough, the rapier-user thought it was actually weird to see Suguha's avatar without her long and pointy elf-like ears, as if they were part of her other self's charm, but the emerald armor with white highlights she was now wearing (If slightly revealing) truly suited her, likewise with the star-shaped hairclip that held up her ponytail.

Asuna found also strange that she felt so…relaxed around the younger girl. Almost at peace, even, as if she was a long-time friend she didn't know she had until recently. Which was really weird, given that she had been sure there would be some lingering animosity between them because of the whole deal with her brother… _cousin_ , and the 'fight' they had the other day.

Instead, to her secret shock, she and the young kendoka had become quite closer after the shared dinner everyone had that same day. They even joked around quite often and had spent an evening or two playing around in Alfheim, the Sylph telling her some of the finest details of the game she still didn't know about and she telling her about Aincrad and what to expect of upcoming Floors.

It made the chestnut-haired girl wonder if that was how having a sister felt like. And, as disconcerting as it was, she couldn't deny she enjoyed it a lot. At the beginning, she had thought that maybe it was because she was mature enough to just get over her feelings for the boy whose heart already belonged to the other girl…

"Hey, girls! Did you find the last of those bats?" questioned Kirito as he jumped over a nearby rock, landing easily atop it. "I swear, that thing was somehow learning with every one of its friends we killed…"

…but Asuna only needed to look at the black-haired idiot once to know every single time that she still felt as strongly for him as she had days ago, since she 'accepted' the truth she had been denying to herself since SAO. It made it specially depressing when she had discovered that neither Liz nor Silica had lied to themselves like that, but the latter had been unable to overcome her shyness and insecurities to confess her feelings while the former apparently had held back expressing her own _for her,_ as a friend doing a favor to another.

All in all, it made the former sub-commander wonder if there wasn't something wrong with her, being able to become such good friends with the girlfriend of the boy she was in love with without that affecting her in the slightest. Asuna wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, though…

"Yeah, I found it and killed it, Kirito-kun, no need to worry." finally spoke the rapier-user while banishing her previous line of thought, deciding she could worry about it later. "And I have to say, you were absolutely right. This game _is_ amazing in every sense…"

"I worry about ALO's future when even one of its Game Masters says something like that…" joked Leafa with a small chuckle, though the other two were able to detect a hint of true worry in her voice.

"What's wrong, Su…uhm, Leafa?" asked the black-haired boy with a small frown. "Do you dislike this place?"

"No! That's not it…in fact, you were right about how amazing this place was, Onii-chan. It truly is like nothing I have ever seen before…" muttered the blonde girl as she stared towards the breathtaking skies of Authea. "It's just…well, it may sound childish, but…I think I miss my wings way too much."

It was a bit embarrassing for her to say such a thing, but the katana-user couldn't deny it was the truth.

A bit over a year ago, when she had decided to start playing VRMMOs to see what was about them that had attracted her then trapped brother, what truly had captivated her from Alfheim Online (Which she had only initially gotten into because her classmate, Nagata Shinichi, recommended it to her when she asked him about games) was the game's unique Flight System.

Her wings. Her ability to freely soar the sky under her own will.

She loved flying, with all her being. It had become her passion almost as much as kendo, despite having been doing it nowhere as much as the latter.

When she was Leafa, when she flew, she was free. All her problems could go away the moment she left the ground and just enjoyed the sensation of the wind on her skin. She had done so many days just after visiting her brother in the hospital, to try to forget the fear and grief seeing him there caused her.

That was the reason why, despite how amazing this other world was and how much fun she had by exploring it together with her beloved adopted brother and her new friend, she couldn't help but feel 'incomplete' by being Leafa and lacking her dear wings.

"Hmm…well, I can't say I know how you feel, Leafa-chan, as I myself am still not totally used to my own wings in ALO and flying wasn't anything more than a dream in SAO, but I guess someone who has been playing it almost since the beginning must feel weird suddenly being unable to." summarized Asuna with a sympathetic smile. "Right, Kirito…kun? Uh?"

The last parts of her words had come out with confusion and surprise because both she, and now the Leafa too, had seen how the gamer was quickly muttering under his breath as he operated his menu and looked over a window at an uncanny speed.

"…must be…I'm sure…Here!" finally spoke Kirito with a triumphant look, quickly selecting an option to turn the screen visible to everyone and spinning it around so that the two females with him could see it. "It's not exactly the same, I'm sure, but between the many different Battle Items of the game there are these things called 'Celestial Regalia', some sort of mechanical- exoskeleton that's basically an Infinite Stratos rip-off." explained the black-haired boy while pointing towards the images in what the girls now saw was a page of the In-Game Manual. "I know it won't be like your wings in Alfheim, but you can basically fly almost 'by yourself' with these things, so…let's go get you one, Leafa!"

"…woah, Kirito-kun…I didn't know you could be so perceptive and considerate." expressed a shocked Asuna with wide eyes, making the gamer facefault at her words.

"Really?! C'mon Asuna, I'm not…!"

"Onii-chan…thanks." spoke Leafa with a soft smile, making the boy blush and look gratefully towards her…before she continued speaking. "Sigh, if only you put the same dedication on reading the 'manual' of those powers of yours…"

"He-hey, you know it's not the same! That thing is like the most boring textbook ever…and I AM reading it! Just…a bit slowly…" grumbled Kirito as he stood up and turned around, sighing. "Let's just go back to the capital and see if we can get one of those Regalia for you, okay? Between the money I still have from SAO and the rewards of this Quest it shouldn't be too difficult, plus we may also look into upgrading our equipment and maybe pick something extra…"

The black-haired words rang true because of the several difficulties the three had found as they completed the Quests they had accepted minutes after Logging In, two Hunting ones and a Recollection one, which they had just finished.

While the massive way in which the game was designed and the absurd level of freedom a Player had to do almost literally anything they wanted were amazing, it also presented obvious 'problems' one had to adapt to. Unless you were a Jack of All Trades or something similar, it was borderline impossible to venture too far from the cities alone, especially if your level was low.

Difficulty of enemies or their level/abilities aside, it was obvious that the Mobs and Bosses in Requiem Universus Online had also an absurd level of freedom beyond anything any of them, even the hardcore gamer that was Kazuto, had seen before, able to move in groups, use the terrain to their advantage or even set ambushes on their territories. If one wasn't ready to deal with more than one type of enemy's attack style, or had someone else in their Party that did so, they would be easy pickings for the monsters and would end up Respawning back on the last city they had visited, with a temporary penalty on their Stats and a loss of Credits directly related to how strong the enemy that killed them was.

All three of them were sword-using/close-range combatants, and while clearly not normal by any standards and with widely different styles, the skills of a National-Level kendoka and two SAO Survivors could only take them so far in a game with levels they had been playing only for hours. They had realized they would need to either adapt their equipment and weapons or get new ones, maybe even try choosing a specific 'Play Style' to aim for (Like the mechanical armor the boy had suggested to get for Leafa).

Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to fully explore that strange but amazing world to their hearts con…

"Kirito-kun, watch out!" suddenly shouted Asuna while unsheathing her rapier again.

"Eh?!" squeaked a surprised Leafa at the unexpected action, even as she saw how her adopted brother unsheathed both his blades without hesitation and swung to the side, eyes sharp.

Sparks flew as they crashed against what seemed like solid nothingness, which quickly shimmered into visibility revealing a humanoid figure clad in some kind of all-black armor-suit, his arms turned into a pair of wicked-looking saws as they struggled against the gamer's blades.

Over its head, the blonde girl was able to see the words 'Ghost Walker' for an instant before Kirito kicked the enemy away, something the being took advantage of to turn invisible again.

The shocked katana-user was just finished to unsheathe her katana when Asuna darted forward like a meteor, rapier ready like a deadly sting about to strike.

"Switch!" came from the former sub-commander's mouth while she jumped towards Kirito, as if she was about to pierce through him.

"On it!" replied the gamer while rolling backward, feeling the air of an invisible weapon whistling past his face just as the rapier-user pierced the invisible enemy like a meteor, making it stagger and turn visible again, a small chunk of his health bar dropping.

Too small. Leafa's eyes widened slightly even as she darted forward, clearly not the only one surprised that what should have been a critical hit had caused so little damage. Their surprise only grew as, even as Asuna extracted her rapier from their enemy and took a step back, the Ghost Walker's left saw warped into some sort of cannon.

This clearly wasn't a normal mob. It had to be some kind of special and rare enemy that only spawned in rare occasions. Something most gamers probably would count as a stroke of good luck to find.

Swinging her katana upwards with all the skill she had gained thanks to years of training, the blonde girl wasn't thinking like that in the slightest, even as the energy blast that would have blown up Asuna's head went just barely over the wide-eyed girl's head. Even more frustrating, though, was that not only was her katana unable to cut-off the enemy's arm, but the damage done was once again minimum.

There was nothing lucky in being attacked by a Super Rare Enemy if you were under-leveled and underequipped, something that Leafa was just becoming painfully aware of. After all, what mattered in ALO the most were your skills rather than your Stats, unless the difference between these was massive.

That was when Kirito shot forward again, swinging both his blades in a full offensive that forced the Ghost Walker back, not even giving it time to turn invisible again.

Both girls took a moment to recover their breathing (Despite being unnecessary in that world) as they watched how the black-haired boy unleashed an impossible onslaught on their enemy.

It was more than amazing for both of them, in different ways.

Asuna already knew how good the boy was, having seen him fight and even fought at his side since early on in Aincrad. She already knew he was a very talented Player and probably one of the strongest members of the Front Liners…but what she was seeing now was beyond all of that: It was as if the gamer had become a living tornado of slashes and stabs, all of them absurdly precise and balanced despite their seemingly random pattern, the black and white swords seemingly having become an extension of him, relentlessly cutting away at his enemy and not giving it time to fight back.

She had never seen anyone fight in such a way except for Commander Heathcliff himself.

Leafa, for her part, was rendered speechless just _seeing_ him like that at all. Certainly, they had been playing a bit in ALO from time to time, mainly doing small things or in Quests with the others, but she had seen him pretty relaxed in there. And while he had told her about his 'Unique Skill' when he shared his experiences in SAO with her, he had only seen him use one blade all that time, despite Lisbeth telling them she had forged a second one for him. In fact, since they entered RUO earlier that day, despite having both blades in his back, he had only been using one, the blue-white one.

Now, however, with both swords in his hands, the blonde girl could see with her eyes the boy's full potential…and it baffled her.

The way in which he moved. The precision of his strikes. The speed in which his blades struck at the enemy. The absolute lack of hesitation in every move…

She had been practicing kendo since she was little, training hard even after their grandfather passed away, all the way until becoming a national-level kendoka despite having been just about to start High School. Kazuto, meanwhile, had drifted away towards computers and games, fully abandoning training, an activity they had once been doing together.

And yet, as she saw him now, the katana-user was sure she would be no match for him. As she saw the Ghost Walker recover, twisting his arms into two blade-like appendages and start striking back, unable to make the Dual Wielder even flinch despite the clear difference in power, she realized just how far he had come within this other world, similar yet different to reality, an absolute contrast to how the boy that owned her heart was most of the time.

Fort the first time, Leafa saw the clear, self-imposed difference between 'Kazuto' and 'Kirito'…

"Kuh, dammit!" cursed the gamer as he finally ended his nigh-perfect imitation of the Dual Blades Skill 'Nightmare Rain', taking a step back as the Ghost Walker finally had room to push him back as his arms (Or was it just that weird 'armor' it wore?) morphed into halberd-like weapons. "I had forgotten about the unfairness of Level-Based MMOs…we haven't even reduced a quarter of this thing's HP!"

"Don't worry, Kirito-kun, we have your back!" shouted Asuna as she rushed to the boy's aid, rapier prepared again.

"Yes, Onii-chan, hang in there!" added Leafa as she also moved forward, katana whistling through the air as she readied a direct slash. "Even if it's stronger, between the 3 of us we can…!"

That was when the Ghost Walker's visor 'shone' with an eerie light, and something 'grew' from his back, extending and warping.

"Wha…?!"

"N-no way…!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

The shouts coming from the three Players were understandable, though, given that the enemy before them had just grown what seemed like a hybrid between mecha-like wings and a jetpack from his back, the black metal finishing reforming as the Ghost Walker soundlessly lifted into the air, easily evading the two girls' attacks…and then turning invisible once again.

Not wasting a second, the group quickly moved as one and put themselves 'back to back' in a triangle-like formation, looking everywhere and straining their ears, trying to see or hear any sign of their enemies' presence.

Fighting against a flying enemy when you were earthbound was a nightmare, something that Leafa especially knew from her early adventures in ALO Dungeons.

Fighting an _invisible_ flying enemy? Yeah, they had had some really screwed luck that day.

"Isn't this supposed to be an area for beginners?!" shouted Asuna while her eyes darted everywhere, trying to catch any sign of the Ghost Walker. "Why is such an overpowered enemy around?!"

"It's kind of a 'luck' thing. Rare monsters spawning in unexpected places or because of secret actions are supposed to be something popular in these kinds of games!" explained Leafa as she tightened her grip on her katana. "We were just unlucky enough to get ambushed by one in our first day actively playing…I think we're going to get an express ticket back to town and with a day-long penalty…"

"…dammit, what the hell?!" suddenly cursed Kirito, making both girls blink and look at him, just noticing that the boy had his eyes closed. "I can't feel that thing at all! It's as if he was a real ghost!"

" _Feel?_ What are you talking about?" questioned a confused katana-user, idly wondering why she felt Asuna shudder at the mention of 'real ghost'. "And why do you have your eyes closed?"

"I can…well, for lack of a better term, 'detect' my enemies if I concentrate hard enough." finally confessed the gamer, receiving incredulous stares from his two companions.

"…seriously?"

Kirito couldn't really blame them for such a reaction, though. If he himself hadn't slowly developed and 'learned' to do such a thing, he would have called bullshit on such a declaration, which seemed like something straight out of some fighting anime.

Months and months of fighting for his life for almost two years, alone for most of it, however, had changed that. Overusing the Tracking and Hiding Skills to the point he sometimes activated them without a conscious thought probably had something to do with it too. Whatever the case, the point was that his time in Sword Art Online had changed him in more ways than one, for good and bad.

While in reality he probably wouldn't be able to do the 'Detect' thing by just concentrating in everything around himself (…unless he 'cheated' and used his new cosmic powers, of course), he was still more than capable of reproducing the 'skill' inside the virtual world.

Sadly, it seemed that, in this case, it wouldn't be of much help, as their enemy seemed to somehow be suppressing even the sound he made, and the fact that it was flying and they were in a mostly open area (Except by the occasional rocky formations and the nearby cave) made matters worse.

He was about to suggest for them to start running back towards the aforementioned cavern when a sudden flash of some purplish energy shot from seemingly nowhere, the flash of light being more than enough to draw his currently hyperaware attention even without sound.

Wordlessly, Kirito's blade cut right through the plasma-shot, leaving both girls wide open as his gaze zeroed in the point where the attack had come from and he reared back his other sword.

"There you are!" screamed the black-haired boy as he threw Dark Repulser like a javelin, the blue-white sword crashing into thin air and sinking into 'nothing' several inches deep.

Its cover blown, the Ghost Walker turned visible again, his cannon-arm morphing again into a normal one as he reached to extract the blade from where it had barely pierced into his body…

…and his head was suddenly and abruptly blown up like a balloon, gory red polygons exploding angrily everywhere as chunks of the mob's black 'armor shot everywhere.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, it unceremoniously fell down, its HP still going down when the headless body shattered into white polygons, screens appearing before the 3 stunned Players indicating they had just received an obscene amount of experience, if nothing else, and even gone up a couple of levels.

Finally snapping out of his shock, Kirito was the first in jumping forward and tackling both girls to the ground, shouting one word that fit the situation 100%.

"SNIPER!"

"Uah?!"

"Kya!"

The gamer may not have really been into Shooters, but no one spent several years getting into gaming and going through the internet without picking at least a few pieces of FPS knowledge. Such as 'Sudden head-blowing means there is a Sniper around'.

However, after almost 30 seconds of nothing happening, the blinking Kirito looked up in confusion, his head moving everywhere as he tried to look into the distance, wondering why they hadn't been shot, as they were perfectly exposed.

"That's weird…why didn't they…?"

"Uhm…Onii-chan?" came Leafa's tiny voice in an embarrassed but slightly admonishing tone, making the black-haired boy turn towards her…and freeze. "We're grateful for the 'help', but, ehm, you should probably get up before you make Asuna-san even more uncomfortable…"

Gulping, the gamer realized that the blonde girl's words were a polite way of telling him to move the fuck up, as he was currently pressing both girls' bodies against the ground with his own, Asuna's own face a noticeable angry red as she refused to look at him and shook in place, like a bomb about to explode.

"S-Sorry!" squeaked Kirito as he stood up, his own face blushing as his companions stood up. "I just…it was an instinctual reaction after the shot, a-and I just…!"

"Kirito-kun, calm down. It's okay." cut him off the former sub-commander while finally looking at him, trying to sound mature and understanding. "I know you didn't do it with bad intentions, so there is nothing to forgive. Be more careful next time, though, okay?"

It should be mentioned that the girl's efforts were severely hindered by the fact that her face had turned a burning crimson in color and that anyone could tell that the fact she had her eyes closed was to try and emphasize her smile while avoiding eye-contact. Even Kirito.

"I-it won't happen again, don't worry…" muttered the gamer as he looked to the side, towards the one he was most worried about would react badly to the situation…

…and found the smiling and totally non-bothered face of Leafa handing Dark Repulser towards him, making the black-haired boy blink in shock.

"Here, Onii-chan! Your sword!" cheerfully spoke the katana-user, her stunned boyfriend recovering the offered weapon.

"Tha-thanks…" stammered Kirito while sheathing his blade again, shaking off the inner dilemma of whether feeling relieved or scared of how much his adoptive sister/girlfriend seemed to trust him in favor of looking around with a small frown. "Still…what the hell just happened?"

"You got really lucky, that's what! Honestly, I think this is the first time _**she**_ didn't finish off everything and everyone on her sight…"

The sudden and unexpected cheerful voice caught the three players by surprise, making them turn around…and two of them to be left open-mouthed and wide-eyed while the last one groaned and facepalmed, a small blush forming on his face.

Smiling their way, Strea descended from where she floated in her strange metallic disk, hoping down excitedly when there was still almost a meter to the ground before rolling and standing just before Kirito, invading the gamer's personal space as her face was left inches from his.

Two awkward seconds passed.

"…hello again, Strea-san." finally spoke the black-haired boy with a resigned sigh.

"Hi again, Kirito! I'm so happy you didn't forget about me!" cheerfully proclaimed the AI while engulfing the aforementioned Dual Wielder in a bear hug, once again reminding him of the unfairness of Level-Based MMOs when her unholy strength impeded him from even struggling. "How have you been? Are you enjoying the day? Did you know we have several Christmas events planned for…?"

"EHEM…excuse me, could you please let him go?" politely asked a 'smiling' Leafa while putting a hand on the lavender-haired girl's right shoulder.

"Yes…it's clearly uncomfortable for Kirito-kun, so we would like it very much if you stopped that." added Asuna with her own 'smile', grabbing a hold of Strea's other shoulder.

Of course, both girls already 'knew' who the mysterious GM was (The shining cursor with her name and 'title' kind of helped with that). Kirito had mentioned her in passing when talking about his first encounter with Yhmos and his 'family', though with a bit of clear discomfort when mentioning her, and Suguha had heard from the 'second oldest sister' from Yui once or twice, when she was talking with her beloved brother (Something that annoyed her a bit for several reasons).

The gamer, however, had _forgotten_ to mention to them about her choice of dress (Which was borderline lack of such). When one added that to the fact that she was wearing her 'armor' with an avatar (Technically her only 'body', but that wasn't the point) that was _even more_ 'developed' than the young kendoka, it was only natural that they wanted her to stop trying to suffocate the red-faced boy against her chest.

If any of them found weird how synchronized they were when doing so, though, none of them showed it.

"…uh? Who are you?" questioned the AI while tilting her head, Kirito taking advantage of how she loosened her grip from her confusion to escape from his 'hellish' prison.

"The-they are Leafa, my little sister, and Asuna, a good friend of mine." quickly explained the gamer while backing away a couple of steps, not wanting to get 'trapped' again…especially if his two female companions were about to 'explode' like they had done in the real world the other day. "A-and what did you mean by someone finishing off everything and everyone? Do you know who 'helped' us?"

"Oh, well, kind of, though I have never talked to her!" quickly answered Strea while turning around, causing the two girls behind her to twitch, though they decided to just hear her out to satisfy their own curiosity. "She's quite a hardcore player and seems to make every Ghost Walker she can find her target, despite their spawning rate being so rare…ah, congratulations in lasting so long against one, by the way! We tried to make them as a perfect replica of the real ones as we could with daddy's info registered by Tomoe, but no basic AI can compare to real years-trained assassins…"

"Wha…?! You mean those things exist for real?!" half-shouted Leafa while staring at the place where the special mob had been, shuddering at imagining that a real one was even deadlier. "And…you say there is a Player that actually goes out of her way to hunt these things?!"

"Yep. In fact, she's probably watching us right now…" idly commented the red-eyed 'Princess' while turning around and waving with her hand on the direction of a certain rocky mountain, leaving the group shocked as it was roughly 3 Km. away from them.

On one of the many natural 'platforms' of said mountain, a figure with pale blue hair cursed under her breath as she stopped looking through her massive rifle's telescopic sight, scowling at the happy and carefree 'greeting' of the underdressed GM. Standing up, she looked through her scope one last time towards the strange Party, her indigo eyes lingering for a moment in the boy who had fought head on against one of her 'targets' alone without being easily slaughtered in seconds (Like everyone else she had seen trying until then) and also canceled his camouflage by throwing a sword before letting her massive weapon transform into something else as she slung it on her back.

Jumping atop what seemed like a strange 'board', the girl flew away from the area, searching for new targets…

"…are you sure there is someone all the way there?" dubiously asked Asuna while looking towards the mountain, casting a sideway glance at the AI girl and trying to not blush at her state of 'dress'. "I mean…can a weapon even hit from that far away?"

"Oh yeah, pretty easily actually. Hell, the weapons with the highest range in this game can hit things dozens of times that distance, but those are reserved for specific scenarios." casually revealed Strea, ignoring the open-mouthed looks of the humans as she turned excitedly towards Kirito once more. "But forget about that! Kirito, how have you been?! Yui-nee only reports with daddy and, whenever I ask her about you, she only says you're 'fine'! How has it been interacting with her? She isn't being too harsh on you, is she? Because I know Yui-nee can be a bit strict at times, but that's only a signal of how much she cares for others! For example, did you know she always looks away with crossed arms when she's emba…?"

A sudden flash of white-lighting interrupted the virtual girl from saying anything else, startling everyone and making the three players squeak as a familiar form materialized, familiar to everyone but Asuna, and waved her arms angrily towards Strea, her face a deep crimson.

"STREA!"

"Wa-waaaah! Yu-Yui-nee…! Ahahah, ho-how unexpected to see you around here…" nervously laughed the younger AI while taking a step back, (metaphorically) sweating in panic.

"Don't go around telling them things about m…! U-uh, I mean, Papa sent me after you when you vanished without warning, then I had Tomoe verify if Kirito-san had Logged In. It wasn't very difficult to determine where you were." declared the MHCP-001 while trying to suppress her twitching eyebrow, causing the humans to sweatdrop. "So-sorry for the inconveniences my foolish little sister may have caused you, Kirito-san, Leafa-san…and Asuna-san, right? Yeah…a-as an apology, I will teleport you all back to the nearest town, free of charge!"

"Wa-wait, Yui-san, it's not necessary…" started to say Leafa…before a strange circle with complex symbols appeared around them, glowing with white power. "Uh?!"

"What is this?!" demanded Asuna as the circle lit up and started to cover their bodies.

Kirito had barely enough time to be surprised at recognizing what apparently was a High-Level Mystery (Something he had read not long ago in 'his' manual) before the light engulfed him and both girls, making them disappear.

"…man, Yui-nee, you truly are amazing!" praised Strea with a big smile while slowly walking backward towards her floating disk, sweating slightly. "I mean, even Yin and Yan can't use the Mystery System to such a perfect way without being together, and that with being the supposedly 'Magic Experts' of us sisters! Not to mention the fact that they're training and coming up with upgrades for it every time they're not taking care of the little ones or playing around with those twins they met not long…"

"Strea." spoke the oldest of the virtual sisters with a dangerous tone totally uncharacteristic of her, making the younger AI freeze.

"Ye-yes…?" squeaked the lavender-haired girl as her sister turned around…only to blink at the trembling look on her red face.

"Why did you think it would be funny to tell them embarrassing things about me?!" half-shouted Yui while waving her arms. "Do you know how hard it was to even gain their trust at first?! Papa has given me a very important mission with this, you can't just go around doing things that make it more difficult for no reason and…and…why are you smiling like that?"

The last part came out of the black-haired girl with a strangely sinking feeling, given that Strea's grin was suddenly so big it seemed about to split her face.

"My…Yui-nee, I didn't know you cared so much about Kirito's opinion of you…perhaps you have been doing more than just 'establishing a friendly relationship' with him?" teased the MHCP-002 while skipping around her suddenly frozen sister.

"Wha…?! Tha-that's ridiculous!" denied Yui while shaking her head. "Do-don't go trying to distract me by saying silly things that…!"

"Hmmm, yeah, maybe you're right." 'accepted' Strea while sighing and shaking her arms, to the other AI's utter surprise. "After all, there is no way Yui-nee would like the dirty evil thief of daddy's powers…"

"DON'T SAY THAT ABOUT HIM, HE'S JUST BEING MISUNDERSTOOD!" screamed Yui at the top of her lungs…only to realize a second later what she had done. "A-ah…I mean…"

"Ahahah, oh God this is awesome! Who would have thought Yui-nee would get a crush on Kirito?" happily laughed the red-eyed virtual girl while turning around, almost jumping through her next three steps.

"But…I don't…!" tried to speak the black-haired girl, though her happily laughing sister seemed to ignore her.

"Oooh, I can't wait to tell everyone else about thi…!"

Strea froze dead in her tracks once again, the ominous feeling of before returning full force as she slowly turned her head towards where her big sister had been.

There Yui was, floating in the air with her eyes covered by shadows, her white aura crackling sinisterly around her and the massive Star-Slayer Sword she had for a weapon, easily thrice their height and as wide as them, out and humming with deadly power.

" **Strea-chan…you…** "

"Wa-wait, Yui-nee, ca-calm down! I-I was just jo-joking, there is no need to whip out Nephilim…or activating your Aether power to such dangerous levels…o-or start ra-raising the sword…Yui-neeeee!"

" **YOU BIG MEANIEEEE!** "

Anyone who happened to go through that specific part of Authea would probably be confused by the angry roars of a girl swinging a massive blade of solid energy and another one begging for mercy and forgiveness while running away…

* * *

"Ah…it's getting a bit late already…"

"Hmm…you're right. I kind of lost track of time between one thing and another…should we wrap this up, then? Or do you need something else?"

For most of the people walking through the shopping mall that evening, as the sun started sinking into the horizon, there was nothing strange about the two teenage girls sitting beside a small fountain, shopping bags at their side and cans of cold tea on their hands.

Of course, if you didn't count the fact that they were soul-linked to a boy with Cosmic Powers strong enough to maybe blow up the entire galaxy by mistake, there was truly nothing strange about Shinozaki Rika and Ayano Keiko (Except maybe the fact that the latter barely looked older than 12 despite being 14, but for the sake of her self-esteem it was better not to mention that fact).

"Yeah, you're probably right…" muttered Keiko while looking at her phone's screen, answering the other girl's last question as she gave her an awkward smile. "Thanks for inviting me to go shopping with you, Liz-san. It was fun!"

"Well, Christmas Eve should be spent a bit with friends before going to celebrate with your family, don't you think?" grinned Rika towards the younger girl before sighing and looking up towards the mall's ceiling. "And it's a good way not to think about how some of us aren't so lucky to have someone 'special' to spend the day with tomorrow…"

"…now that you have said it, I'm not gonna be able to stop thinking about it." whispered the Beast Tamer while releasing a nigh-identical sigh to her older friend.

Something quite unique to Japan, perhaps, was how Christmas was actually considered a day for one to spend it with their lover and have a 'lovey-dovey' time with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Hence why most people celebrated the festivities with their families the night before after midnight, and usually exchanged presents when meeting with their significant other.

Not that everyone did that, of course. While it was 'tradition' there were still many people who spent the day with their friends or families…and the fact that these people were mostly children or single people wasn't related to this fact at all. Really.

"…man, being a teenager in love really sucks." summarized the blacksmith while resting her head on her palm with a deadpanning look in her face, even as Keiko looked at her in shocked surprise. "I mean…aren't you supposed to get over such things if you know you have no chance? I mean, I spent every single month since I met him telling myself that he would end up with Asuna and that I shouldn't try anything despite how much I wanted to, for crying out loud! And now I have seen firsthand he has a girlfriend! Why can't I stop liking that idiot?!"

"…maybe it's because…you don't want to?" offered the Beast Tamer to Rika's surprise, a slightly longing tone in her voice. "I mean…I didn't know or even think he may be interested in someone else when I realized I…felt this way about him, but…I think a part of me had kind of accepted that he would never look at me that way without me realizing it, and that's what stopped me from telling him every time we met…"

"Si-Silica…" muttered the startled older girl, surprised at the usually shy girl's words.

"But you know? I think…a part of me didn't mind. Because…because I was always happy when he was around. Because it always made me smile and feel warm and happy inside when he came and greeted me." chuckling, Keiko remembered how flustered she became her last birthday when he gave her that special ring to send voice messages as a gift, having misinterpreted the meaning behind it for a moment (Something he thankfully didn't notice). "And…I guess a part of me still does. Maybe it's not healthy, but…I don't want to just let go of this feeling right now…"

Silently, Rika contemplated the Beast Tamer's words, shocked by how much they reminded her…of herself.

Perhaps their situations were different, and the way in which they viewed their feelings too, but she couldn't deny she had felt like that too.

After all, she could have easily told the boy some excuse that day, after she ran off, after seeing the way in which her best friend looked at him, and thankfully managed to cry out of his or Asuna's sight. She could have invented one and a thousand things to keep him away from her life, though still in friendly terms.

Yet, she had still insisted on being his personal blacksmith. In seeing him several times a month, every time he needed an upgrade for his weapons or help with some blacksmithing-related Item or Ore he had found.

And she would always feel happy about it, feel as if her day had brightened with just seeing him. Hell, she could still blush at remembering feeling his hands over hers that day in early August, when he had come for one of the last Upgrades of his ( _Their_ ) beloved Dark Repulser, when her feelings had almost overwhelmed her and made the girl mess up the important and delicate process. How his kind and caring words made her feel the resolve to believe in the bond they had, even if it wasn't the one her heart wished for.

That Upgrade had been a successful one. The memory made Rika smile softly.

It was true. Even if it was a bit painful…she didn't want to renounce to that feeling just like that. Startled, she realized that Asuna was probably feeling the same thing that both of them, maybe even worse, if what she thought true of how much she had liked Kirito was accurate. And yet, she was the one trying to spend the most time with both him and Suguha, even if that meant seeing them together.

A chuckle escaped her throat at that thought. In a way, one could say they were all idiots…or maybe just had to grow up a lot more in several ways.

With time, she was sure, those feelings may go away and turn into simple friendship that wouldn't affect their lives in the future. But for now…

"Ah…guess we can be a bit masochistic, uh? Being in love is a really scary thing." laughed the blacksmith before smiling at Keiko, softly grasping her hand. "You're way more mature than I gave you credit for, Sili—" she paused for a little. "…Keiko-chan."

"O-oh…li-likewise, Li…Rika-san." awkwardly answered the younger girl while returning Rika's squeeze.

Several seconds of silence passed.

"…say…mind if I keep calling you Silica for a while?"

"Ah, thank God! Tha-that felt weirder than I think it should have…can I keep calling you Liz-san?"

"Totally!"

With that, both girls broke into a simple yet energetic laughter, seeming like two good friends sharing a joke or an endearing anecdote.

Unseen by them, the invisible 'link' that tied them and two others together with a source of power as old as the stars thickened, especially the one between them…

Both girls' heads suddenly snapped to the side, a hint of confusion and panic in their eyes as they looked around.

There was nothing strange in sight and people were still walking around normally, nothing strange on their faces except the hurry for finishing their last minute shopping for Christmas.

"Uhm…what…?" tried to say Keiko with a confused look.

"Did we just imagine that?" questioned Rika while looking back at the Beast Tamer…only for her eyes to widen at seeing the sun had all but disappeared on the horizon, visible through one of the mall's biggest 'windows'. "Wait, is it that late already?!"

"Eh…" Silica looked outside as well, to find that her friend was telling the truth. "AH! Yo-you're right!"

And as both girls hurriedly say their goodbyes and ran off towards the closest bus stop, hoping they would make it in time to catch one of the last ones…none of them, or anyone else in the mail, noticed how a strange 'diamond' shimmered into existence, the thing being almost 2 meters in diameter and a vibrant magenta color.

It was clearly some kind of machine, and the strange octahedron (For that was what it actually was) had strange red 'eyes' on each of its 8 faces that seemed to be looking everywhere with confusion.

Yet, not a single person seemed to see or notice the floating from. Unsurprising, giving the special system the Aura Scouts used to monitor everything, and that this world was still light years away from developing countermeasures against.

However, the Extra-Universal exploration machine was clearly disconcerted as it surveyed everything around it with a perfect 360º tridimensional vision.

For a moment, the Aura Scout could have sworn its Passive Systems had picked up a small spike on Cosmic Energy. However, now that he was using its Primary Systems on its Standard Mode, nothing appeared on its radars, and only normal humans (Worried about some kind of weird festivity involving presents and such) were around.

As its AI did the mechanical equivalent to a shrug, the extra-dimensional explorer shimmered once again into its Passive Mode. It must have been some sort of error, most likely caused because they had yet to decrypt all the weird, messed-up and mixed waves the humans had filled their 'Earth' with.

It would soon stop being a problem, though, when the Detection Network was activated…

* * *

As he took off his AmuSphere and stared towards his room's ceiling, Kazuto couldn't help but wonder if it was really possible that things were doing so well in his life.

He was in a happy and healthy relationship with Sugu (Even if it was kind of 'secret' at the moment), he had conserved the friendship of Asuna and the rest despite the somewhat rocky reveal of said relationship (Plus the shocking revelation they had all felt like that for him in their own ways), he had managed to get his Cosmic Powers under enough control so as to not accidentally blow up the planet (Or unconsciously link himself to random people) and the 'Space God' that had been the origin of all the madness had no real power to harm him or get his powers back (Not to mention had even started to try and 'befriend' him through one of his daughters)!

Certainly, everything seemed to be looking great on his life. Way crazier than he could have ever imagined and nothing like the 'normal' life he expected to return to after SAO, but great nonetheless.

Everything was looking so good it almost scared him, as if it was just the prelude to something really bad happening…

"Onii-chan?" the sound of his door opening made the gamer snap out of his negative thoughts, Suguha's gentle visage greeting him as he did so. "Mom said we should go down and help her finish preparing everything for dinner."

"O-oh, yeah, of course. I'm coming, Sugu." sheepishly muttered the boy while standing up and walking towards the door, ready to head downstairs…only to stop when he felt a hand gripping his own. "Uh? Su…?"

The kiss caught him off guard, but Kazuto quickly found himself returning it. The action lasted for about 3 seconds before they separated, the blushing girl smiling softly at him.

"Don't worry, okay, Onii-chan? Things will go well for us…for everyone, so don't be depressed, please?"

He didn't even need to ask how she knew about that. The link that joined them was suddenly clearly visible in his mind's eye, in his very soul. A similar smile appeared on his face as he nodded and, taking her hand, headed downstairs.

They had just let go of each other as they arrived at the first floor when they saw their mother emerging from the hallway and looking at them with a strange smile.

"Suguha, Kazuto, please hurry. We need to finish setting the table before…" Midori's words were interrupted when the front door suddenly opened, surprise filling both teens as they turned around, only to be even more shocked upon doing so. "Oh…well, too late, I guess…"

For standing there, with a tired smile on his face, a tall man with eyes the same shade of grey that Suguha's, a traveling case at his side.

"Hey. I told you I would make time this year." greeted Kirigaya Minetaka while looking towards his family, his gaze moving over his children and resting over his wife's smiling form. "I'm home, Midori."

"Welcome home, Minetaka."

"Da…dad!" cried the youngest member of the family while rushing forward, trapping her surprised father into a hug and making him release a chuckle. "You came…you really came…"

"Only for a few days, but at least I should be able to spend the holidays with you…God, Sugu, you have really gotten stronger lately, eh?" joked the oldest Kirigaya, ignoring his daughter's angry pout to look towards the only still silent member of the family. "Hey, Kazuto. I know you're probably too old to go giving hugs to your old man, but you could at least…"

It was difficult to say if it was Minetaka or Midori who was more shocked when the gamer also moved forward and joined his adoptive sister on the hug, a small smile on his face as he did so.

The boy hadn't hugged him in years. Not since he was 10. Since he learned that he wasn't…

"Welcome home, dad." spoke Kazuto with utmost sincerity, the Minetaka apparently doing a conscious effort to net let out a tear as he put a hand over his head. "Welcome home."

And as he idly felt Sugu squeezing his hand again in the middle of the hug, the boy who had survived Sword Art Online couldn't help but feel at peace.

Maybe things would truly continue going well…

"…so…do you think we should get back to the rooms?" whispered Elucidator from where he and Fuu were 'spying' from atop the stairs.

"Yep, I think that will be for the best." nodded the cat-plushie as they turned around and silently headed back down the hallway.

Then, without apparent reason, the phone-robot stopped, making his strange companion stop too and look at him in confusion.

"…weird." whispered Elucidator while turning to look towards the ceiling.

"…Luci-kun? Is something the matter…?" started to ask Fuu before freezing, feeling it too.

A strangely ominous sensation covering their small souls…

* * *

"…merry Christmas, Yuu."

"Merry Christmas, Nee-chan!" was Yuuki's happy answer to her sister's soft words, both of them sitting atop one of the highest buildings of Authea's capital.

It was just past midnight, meaning it was officially Christmas day, reason why they had just exchanged those words.

Between them, the small decorated table of the restaurant they had found was filled with several examples of traditional Christmas' food, most of them half-finished already. The sisters had decided to spend their time together that night in there, as they didn't really have anyone to be with in the real world and their friends wouldn't get their own copies of RUO until the next day or so.

Not to mention that, unlike them, they probably still had someone who visited them in the real world…

They would make sure to Log Out in a while and wish Merry Christmas to Dr. Kurahashi too. It was the least they could do for the man, given all that he had done for them since their parents died.

"…as always, the sky is beautiful in this world…" muttered Ran while staring towards the heavens of Authea, a small smile on her face.

"You bet! I can't wait till we can show this to the others!" agreed Yuuki while raising her fork, smiling brightly. "We're going to have lots of fun in New Year's Eve!"

"Yes…yes we will…" whispered the oldest of the twins before turning towards her sister. "Yuu…you're the best sister in the world."

"U-uh?!" was the sound that came out of the suddenly blushing girl, waving her hands frantically. "N-now, Nee-chan, what's that out of the blue? You're exaggerating!"

"Heheh…I only wanted you to know that. For me, it's the truth." laughed Ran while shaking her head, ignoring the pouting look Yuuki gave her at that. "Now let's finish this and…"

"Yui-chan, Ran-chan!"

"Woah, you're really here!"

Both sisters blinked in surprise at the unexpected and familiar voices, turning around to see the overexcited, as always, forms of Yin and Yan descending from the sky, their unnatural black and white auras vanishing respectively as soon as their feet touched the ground.

"Oh…Yin-chan, Yan-chan…what are you doing here?" questioned Ran with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, we suddenly saw you were online, and we couldn't believe it!" exclaimed Yin with a clearly curious tone.

"Yeah, I mean, shouldn't you be celebrating with your family?" asked the equally curious Yan while staring at her friends.

Now then, anyone with half a brain could tell how 'childish' the virtual twins were. And how, in many ways, most of their sisters were too. This was, mainly, because of how, despite their original programming, they had been locked away in a 'frozen' state after their creations, only two of them being fully ready to activate and only one being truly active at all (Yui, their oldest sister). This had made that their current 'personalities' were mostly based on their ability to imitate mankind from the data they had, which was incomplete in many ways in everyone sans Yui, and even she still had problems fully understanding the way in which human emotions worked. Which was the reason of their 'unique' personalities.

Yui was the most understanding, trying to fit the role of an older sister and kind of a mother for them all.

Strea had a very loose acceptance of the concepts of decency and common sense, in exchange for being an ever-happy mass of happiness and curiosity.

Ivy was obsessed with trying to be a good big sister to her closest one, doing over-the-top things to do so.

Eve was lazy as hell, and seemed to not care for much, but in truth loved them all dearly and her older sister especially, even if she rarely showed it.

Haru was too determined to act like a 'mature person', and also had the clearly mistaken idea that having Strea as a role model would help with that.

Tomoe was shy but dedicated, and with an uncanny ability to investigate and manage all kinds of knowledge, always eager to learn something new.

Both of them were hyperactive like children in a constant sugar high, but also very determined in what they did, hence why they had been assigned to take care of the 8 'little ones' of their family most of the time.

But despite all of this, and despite only Strea and Yui having the almost full capacity of it, it didn't change the fact that, once upon a time, they had been created to be psychologist programs. Even if most of the data that they supposedly should have received and analyzed to be this had never actually made it to their Code, their adapting ability for 'human understanding' was still there.

And that was why, the moment they saw the sadness and hurt filling the human twins' eyes as they gave them strained smile, Yin and Yan realized they had done something wrong. Basic deduction based upon analyzing their own ways allowed them to discover the most likely, and grim, reason behind it.

"We…have our reasons to be here." was all that Ran said as her little sister looked down in silence.

Quickly, the virtual twins exchanged a glance, in which they told each other more than anyone would think was possible in little more than a second.

"Say, do you want to come with us? We were going to celebrate a special party for Christmas with our sisters!" offered Yan with a smile, surprising the two Players.

"Yeah, it's going to be great! Daddy will also be there, even if he's…not much of a Christmas person." finished Yin with a small sweatdrop.

The truth was that Yhmos didn't really see the point to a festivity that apparently was originated by a specific religion and yet it had become something most people in the world celebrated, even if few still did it by the original purpose it was meant to.

However, the Ancient Ruler had relented and finally accepted to 'celebrate' Christmas after a bit of begging from his daughters. It seemed that the power of puppy eyes was stronger than his millennia-old Will.

"Bu-but, i-it's a party for your family, right? We would be bothering you and…!" Yuuki tried to say.

"Don't be silly! You could never bother us!" quickly cut her off Yan with a serious look, before smiling softly at her. "Besides…you two are our first friends. In a way, you're almost like family to us."

"…really?" muttered Ran with surprise, especially because she could feel the sincerity in the blonde AI's voice.

"Yep. Don't have any doubt about it, Ran-chan!" assured Yin while jumping in place, before offering her hand to her. "So…you two coming?"

For a moment, Yuuki and Ran blinked, looking at each other after a second of hesitation.

The older twin had to suppress the urge to smile at seeing the almost begging look on the younger's eyes. Yuu had always been the more excitable of the two (And a bit of a crybaby, but she rarely called her that anymore).

"…heh, yeah, we're going."

"Yay! You're the best, Nee-chan!" shouted Yuuki in celebration while standing up, grabbing Yan's offered hand as she did so. "Let's go!"

"Yahoo, this Christmas is going to be great!" cheered the aforementioned MHCP.

"Everyone is going to be so surprised!" added the other virtual twin with her own happy voice, even as Ran stood and reached to grab her hand…

…only to stop midway, frozen like a statue, her eyes suddenly unfocused, then opening widely.

"…uh?" was all that came from her mouth as she suddenly started to fall backward.

Yuuki's smile vanished from her face in less than a second, replaced by shock, then horror.

Yin and Yan had frozen in place, their excited looks turning into surprise and then worry as they called out her name.

Idly aware that her little sister was doing the same as she rushed to her side, Ran wasn't properly able to focus on such things, as everything started to spin for her.

 _"Ah…I can't feel my body."_ idly thought the oldest of the twins as she crashed to the ground, endless 'Emergency!' screens that were clearly not part of the game appearing on her vision as she started to hear the ringing of a machine. _"And…I can't breathe."_

That was when everything went dark for her, and the pain started.

On the Floating Palace Astemeri, the Ancient Ruler Yhmos, who was looking idly how his daughters finished decorating his throne room with Christmas' motifs, suddenly stood up, eyes wide before they narrowed, his gaze moving in the direction two of his daughters had gone to.

Far away from civilization, in the real world…Kayaba Akihiko finished typing on a holographic screen, the form of the android Flint at his side nodding as he did so.

"It's done." spoke the mechanical being before countless lines of data and many more things that probably would take many supercomputers to be understood floated around. "Good work, Mr. Kayaba."

"I…guess." whispered the scientist as he looked up, endless screens materializing and filling with data as a scaled hologram of the entirety of Japan appeared. "Your technology is…certainly amazing. This 'Detection Network' of yours is finally ready…"

Even as he said those words, not far behind him, on an upper level of the small facility, the three officers of the extra-dimensional aliens stared silently at the ever-growing holographic display, Moria even opening his suit's own terminal to start looking for something specific.

Elysium, however, never let her gaze wander away from the display, as if ready for anything to pop up in any second.

 _"C'mon, Tyrant…use your weakened powers."_ thought the captain while clenching her fists, her diamond-shaped pupils shining. _"It will be the last thing you do."_

* * *

 **Lesson 6** **:** _The most useful allies are those always with you. The most dangerous enemies are those you don't know._

* * *

 **Next** **:** _With Great Power…_

* * *

 **Omake: Star Hunters' Log 2**

 _Aura Scouts_ (6 Active, 6 Recharging)

Standard Exploration Unit of the Universal Alliance. Since the Alliance's formation, this mechanical units have proven to be a vital part of almost every single operation, thanks to their tridimensional 360º visual radius and their unique ability to 'Desynchronize' with the flow of Reality.

While this would be extremely dangerous for any living being, and even the smallest fault could send the unit to oblivion, the technology to make the Scouts work was developed through half a century by some of the greatest minds in the Universal Alliance, allowing to create both the navigation AIs and the Plasma Cores that act as power source.

Basically, when in 'Passive Mode', the Scouts can move through spatial distortions at the Edge of Reality, making them impossible to be detected, seen, or even perceived by anything. However, while on this mode, their special systems will only allow them to detect specific energy-based targets and small fluxes of power that they had been programmed to find (Though more than one type of it can be programmed, even if it reduces efficiency). Once they find the target, however, the Aura Scouts enter 'Primary Mode', they re-enter Reality by standing just between space distortion and the normal world proper. While in this mode they can detect and transmit visual input and use all their detection systems, they're exposed and unable to move, and anything with the proper technology or power would be able to detect them, even if simple sight or basic localization systems won't detect them.

When fully charged, the Aura Scouts have an autonomy of 24 Earth hours of continuous, full-capacity work, and twice as much if they stay out of Primary Mode.

 **Main Abilities:** Reality Desynchronization (Limited by Plasma Core). 3D/360 Vision (Able to detect everything in all directions and angles for a distance of 1 Km. Thermal and Electromagnetic Vision included).

 **Weaponry:** As a unit especially designed for information recollection, the Aura Scouts do not possess any kind of weaponry. Early attempts of the Alliance to turn them into weapons that could attack from outside Reality failed because there was no way of installing any without it disrupting or destroying the delicate balance of the technology keeping the spatial distortions up. They're also extremely fragile, their hulls unable to withstand anything superior to low-level plasma and laser shots.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And so, it begins…

In the first place, let me thank you all for reading my story once again, and also give you all somewhat 'sad' news: My classes are starting in a bit less than two weeks, so the next chapter will probably be a bit delayed, and the next ones after that will come considerably slower. Don't worry though, I don't plan on abandoning this story, but know that things will be going far slower for it, and despite not going to be as long as OPG, it will maybe take longer than that one took in being finished.

Also…hope you're ready, because things are going to start moving fast from now on! This chapter introduced my last attempt to give this mainly funny/crazy story some deeper character development before the madness of the main plot starts kicking everything into full gear. The Star Hunters have finally set their network, and if Kirito uses 'his' powers for anything more complicated than fixing a burned PC, they're going to know. Luckily there is nothing important right now that he may need to use his powers fo…oh, wait O,O

Oh! And how many of you saw the not-so-subtle foreshadowing for the official introduction of another dear character of the SAO series into this mess XP? What can I say, except that, did you really thought I was going to leave her out? Her fans would have killed me (Hahah, okay, no, I also like her, even if she's not my favorite :P). More of that…soon!

Well, with that said, take care, folks, hope you have spent a good and relaxing time, those that like me who were on vacation and are going back to study soon. And those who live at the other side of the globe…hang in there, and keep reading :D!

 _(B/N: Oh, and before you go, I'm thankful that you didn't mind my "slight" delay when it comes to betaing. Two days isn't exactly what I'd call acceptable and I'll try to cut down on it next time. Thank you for sitting through this "Calm Before the Storm" chapter, as I'd imagine many of you came here for the action and not character development. Next chapter's going to be…crazy, from what I was told by Saint. Buckle up!)_

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	9. Chapter 7: With great Power

Well, well, hello everyone once again! Welcome back to probably one of the weirdest stories around in the SAO Section nowadays OxO _(B/N: Correction; the weirdest story in the SAO Fandom. Thank me later.)_

Also, first of all let me apologize to everyone, I got confused about the date I was to return to class, which is the 19th this Monday. That's why this chapter has actually been finished with only a little delay (Related mainly to my preparations for school and a _bit_ of laziness).

Okay then, nothing more to say for now, except that MAN, I can't believe this story has almost reached 19000 views, and gotten over 250 favorites and 152 reviews O.O Definitively beyond anything I was expecting when I started it, and it makes me happy I can make so many of you enjoy with this little piece of madness :3 Please, always remember to leave a little review to tell me what you think of it XP!

Without further ado, enjoy this chapter, my dear readers!

 **PS:** Not betaed? What is that? :3 Yours truly is done sitting on his ass doing absolutely nothing productive (And planning out his story's next chapter in detail, of course. How could he forget that?) and finished what we was supposed to do two days ago.

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: With Great Power…**

 **December 25th, 2024. Saitama, Kawagoe. Kirigaya Household, 01:45…**

It was amazing, how the simplest things could make someone feel so much happier.

Years ago, Kirigaya Kazuto would have never thought that having a modest Christmas dinner with his family would make him feel as if everything was right with the world, but that was exactly what had happened.

Even now, as he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling with a soft smile, the feeling of happiness and that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders still lingered.

Of course, the warmth coming from the pajama-clad girl hugging his right arm probably helped with that.

"Sugu, you shouldn't be here…what if mom and dad wake up for any reason?" mumbled the gamer while looking towards the young kendoka, but not really doing any effort to remove her from his side.

"They went to sleep almost 20 minutes ago, it's fine…don't talk as if you're not enjoying it, Onii-chan." answered Suguha with her own mischievous smile as she snuggled closer to him. "And I can always say I had a nightmare or something if they find us…unless you want me to get out…?"

"…do you even know how unfair is to ask that question?" whispered back the black-haired boy with a fake expression of hurt while looking at her, their faces barely inches apart. "That's like asking me if I want to stop liking videogames."

"Hey, are you really comparing me with your videoga…?" the girl's words vanished together with her pseudo-pout as Kazuto's lips connected with hers, the young kendoka melting into the kiss as she leaned even closer to her. "…mou, Onii-chan, you're even more unfair…how am I supposed to get angry at you when you do that…?"

"Don't go talking to me about unfairness after snuggling into my bed with me like this." countered the gamer with a chuckle as he hugged her close. "…I love you, Sugu. Merry Christmas."

"Love you too, Onii-chan. Sweet dreams," softly muttered Suguha while leaning on him and closing her eyes. "After all, we're going to spend the whole day together in the morning…"

Sadly, the girl's fantasies about all the marvelous things they were going to do, as a couple, later in the day were suddenly crushed by the door to the gamer's room being violently opened.

Both siblings were already about to explode into half-thought explanations about why they were together in the same bed (And also in such a close and 'compromising' position…when their eyes widened at seeing that the ones entering weren't their parents, but the bizarre visage of Elucidator riding on Fuu's back.

Any thoughts they had of asking how they had even opened the door while charging inside like that vanished as they saw the terrified 'face' shown in Luci's screen-torso, Fuu's own face distorted into as much of a scared look her plushie features allowed.

"Sugu-chan, Kazu-kun! It's bad!" worriedly said the cat-being while stopping beside the bed just as they stood up.

"Boss, we have a serious problem!" shouted the robot-phone while jumping off his friend's back. "Quick, pick me up, the call is still on!"

Kazuto wasn't even able to ask what exactly was happening before Elucidator jumped towards him and 'transformed' just as he was forced to catch him.

Then, the gamer got a full view of Yui's distressed face and any complaint died in his throat.

"Kirito…! I need…we…my sisters…!"

"Woah, Yui, calm down, you're not making any sense!" interrupted the boy with a serious voice, even as Suguha leaned to his side to cast a worried glance towards the shaking AI. "Take a deep breath and calmly tell me what's happe…"

"PLEASE!" shouted two voices off-screen, shocking the Kirigaya siblings when the surprised Yui was pushed away to show two identical crying blondes with a hairstyle similar to Keiko's, the only thing differentiating the grief-stricken AIs (For it was obvious they were also Yui's sisters) being their white and black clothes. "Please, Mr. Thief…no, Kirito-san! Ple-please, sa-save our…our friends!"

"What…?!"

"Yin! Yan! Calm down!" boomed a familiar voice from somewhere beyond the couple sight, making both crying girls freeze and Kazuto to frown, even as the young kendoka looked confused, being the only one to not know the speaker. "…Yui, take care of them. Tomoe, dear, switch the screen to me. Now."

Without any fanfare or special drama, the image was switching to show that of a rough-looking old man, which vaguely reminded the youngest Kirigaya of her grandfather, only a thousand times more serious.

His grievous expression, though, was something she had never seen on her deceased kendo master's eyes, not to mention the bottomless feeling of 'wrongness' that came from looking straight into his eyes.

"Yhmos." flatly stated the gamer with an uncanny neutral voice, making Suguha realize she was staring at the face of the famous 'Space God'. "What's going on?"

For a moment, it seemed as if the last of the Ancient Rulers wasn't going to answer, as if weighing something on his mind or debating a serious internal issue…

Then, he sighed and stared straight into the boy's eyes, surprising Kirito by how…old he suddenly seemed.

"Kirigaya Kazuto…I need to ask you for a favor."

* * *

Kurahashi Kaito, doctor of the Yokohama North General Hospital and an avid defender of the use of VR-Technology to better the living conditions of terminally ill patients, had always known this was going to happen. He had known it since the moment he started treating both of those poor little girls, he had known it when their parents had died, he had known it when he offered them to become the testers of the Medicuboid…and yet…

"…Dr. Kurahashi? We…we need your confirmation." sadly muttered a nurse while looking towards the bespectacled man, who stared at the bed in some sort of trance. "You…you know there is nothing left to do…"

And yet, as he stared at the ghastly pale visage of Konno Aiko, known as Ran in the virtual world, the oldest of the two Konno sisters and the one that had selflessly insisted that her little sister was the one who got to test the experimental machine and got a special sealed room to protect her from her sickness, he couldn't help but feel as if a part of his heart was breaking down.

Several new tubes and a machine that hadn't been in the normal hospital room an hour before were the only things keeping Aiko alive at this point. Even with the special oxygen mask connected to the machine helping her breathe, they were only delaying the inevitable.

Nothing they did would prevent the young girl from dying. Both hers and her sister's fate had been sealed since the moment they were born and their whole family was accidentally infected with HIV. The sisters had been suffering from AIDS since birth, and while the effects of it hadn't truly manifested themselves until some years back, the fact that they would die very young was something that couldn't be denied.

Even so…Aiko didn't deserve this. She, who had spent hours consoling Yuuki when their parents died, despite being crying herself. Who had gathered and formed the group they called friends, the Sleeping Knights, from many other terminally ill patients from the 'virtual hospice' Serene Garden, giving them a bright purpose and something to look forward to.

She had even happily let, almost _forced_ , her little sister to be the one who would live the most. Aiko knew very well that she could have easily chosen to be the tester of the Medicuboid and Yuuki wouldn't have refused. Instead, she had convinced her twin to be the one to get the sealed room and the special treatments, while she stayed in a normal one, using a simple Nerve Gear modified for medical purposes (Which was now lying beside her bed with the copy of 'Requiem Universus Online' at its side). From the beginning, she had known she would 'leave' first, leaving Yuuki alone…

Kurahashi Kaito closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It had to be done. All they were doing now was prolonging the ill girl's suffering. He just hoped that, if there was any place to go after this, Aiko could find her parents in there.

The doctor still knew it wouldn't be easy at all to tell Yuuki this, despite the scared screams of the younger girl having been a clear indication that she had already found out what was happening with her older sister.

"…yes, you have my authorization." softly whispered the man, suddenly feeling as if the world was weighing down on him. "Disco…"

Everything went black and white, as if the world had suddenly lost color.

Eyes fluttering open at the same time, the confused gaze of Konno Aiko swept around the room, her pain moving into a second plane as her wonder and confusion took a front seat in her mind.

 _"What's…going on? Is this what being dead feels like?"_

If it was, then the oldest of the Konno sisters couldn't help but feel that it was way too painful for…

Her eyes widening, Aiko felt her heart skip a beat as she finally took notice of another figure in the room, standing just at the feet of her bed, her mind racing at trying to pinpoint when it had gotten there.

Clad in black from head to toe, with a hood obscuring his face and surrounded by an unnatural aura, the mysterious newcomer had apparently 'materialized' into the room at the same time the strange phenomenon started, which led the dying girl to a simple yet sinister confusion.

At the same time, far away, alarms started to blare inside the room where the Star Hunters' Detection Network was, making several eyes widen as officers and droids started to analyze the data.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital…

 _"…are you…are you Death?"_ weakly thought Aiko (Unable to actually say anything aloud), wondering why she wasn't as scared as she thought she would be, even as her wavering gaze centered on the black figure. _"Have you come to…take with my parents…?"_

The following seconds, four maximum, felt like the longest span of time ever for the oldest of the Konno siblings, before the figure released a sad chuckle as he shook his head.

 _"No, of course not. Don't you know what date it is? I'm the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come."_ spoke the black-clad figure…directly into Aiko's mind, much to her own shock, even as he slowly took off his 'hood' to reveal the fact of a black-haired teenage boy, probably only a couple of years older than her, a sad but determined look on his eyes. _"And I decree that you still have to celebrate many Christmas."_

And with those words, he reached towards the wide-eyed girl with a hand enveloped in blue-white electricity…

In that same moment, Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant entered the Network Room with a hurried pace, her helmet not on as she had just come from her sleeping quarters. Even so, the pink-haired young woman didn't seem to mind at all that she had barely gotten an hour of sleep in the last 30 hours, her diamond-shaped pupils fixed upon the forms of the group's other two officers, Moria staring towards the holographic projection of a certain part of Japan even as Konik barked orders to a nearby technician.

"Is it true? We got a confirmation?" questioned Elysium the moment she was within earshot of her subordinates, both of them turning to look at her. "Did we finally locate that bastard?"

"We got a reading from a simple Space-Warping Mystery, yes, a basic teleportation, and nothing of what we know of this planet suggest it can be anyone from here having done it." informed the lieutenant with a serious tone. "However, the human systems are extremely primitive even if we're only using them for geographical data, so we can't be 100% sure if…"

A new set of alarms echoing into the room interrupted the 4-armed alien, several droids going mad about calculations and statistics while a technician turned towards the officers, grim worry on his voice.

"New burst of Cosmic Energy detected clearly in the same place, sirs. Pure and unidentifiable. No normal entity can release such a type of energy…99% of probabilities it's the Tyrant."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" questioned Commander Moria with narrowed eyes, looking over the screen and some data on his personal terminal. "The data we got sssaysss thiss iss a place called…"

"Yokohama, in the Kanagawa Prefecture." came another voice from near where the technician of before had been standing, letting the surprised Elysium see Kayaba Akihiko standing there as he looked at the holographic display. "To be more precise…the Yokohama North General Hospital?"

"Hospital? As in, a medical facility?" questioned the confused Rarun while staring towards the only human in the room, a frown appearing under his helmet at Kayaba's silent nod. "Why in Unreality's name would that monster appear in one…?"

"It most likely has something to do with its currently weakened state." theorized Flint while rolling towards the officers, who regarded the droid with calculating looks. "We have been monitoring all human communications in the area on the last 5 'minutes' and nothing out of the ordinary seems to have been reported. The Ancient Ruler is doing something while hiding under the human's noses, which…"

"Goes against everything we know of him, confirming our theory. He wouldn't go sneaking around like a rat before 'lesser beings' if he had even a noticeable fraction of his power." nodded Elysium before turning around. "Warm the Magicians! We need a Space-Time Mystery ready right now!"

"But Captain, they're very limited right now because of the low mystical energies of this Universe." worriedly muttered one of the technicians even as another one sent the order. "They won't be able to mobilize a big enough group…"

"It's the only option we have. If we tried to deploy through normal means we would not only arrive too late if he's on the move, but also will gain the humans' attention without a doubt." grimly replied the captain, inwardly cursing the fact of having lost any actual teleporting tech with the loss of their ship. Besides, numbers matter little against the Tyrant. If he's as weak as our Admiral's predictions thought, we may stand a chance. If not, if he has even a thousandth of his power at his disposal…then even all of our forces at the same time wouldn't be a match for him."

"Which is why I will be the one leading this operation, Captain Revenant." informed Rarun with a determined tone, shocking the young woman even as Gahul frowned his way. "I will take half the remaining Ghost Walkers with me, though."

"What?! But I…!"

"You are our highest-ranked officer still alive, not to mention the only one who has a means of actually killing the Tyrant if he manages to regain access to his High Mysteries. You're not only important to the surviving crew, you're also our ace in the hole." firmly stated the 4-armed alien while walking past the young woman, stopping momentarily to look at him. "And…if you allow me a moment to not talk to you as my captain, but as the daughter of my deceased friend…Try and think things more calmly, Ely. Your mother wouldn't want you dying without accomplishing anything because you fucked up in the last moment."

Those words said, Lieutenant Rarun-Konik walked out of the room, never looking back. Elysium bit her lips for a second before closing her eyes and steadying herself, walking forward and looking down at her subordinates.

"You heard the lieutenant! Get everything ready and set all the systems to monitor the operation, we may be entering into direct conflict with our primary target!"

Every non-human in the room's lower level saluted and quickly headed to their posts, ready to follow their leaders' orders. As this took place, Kayaba simply stared silently towards the young woman, his face reflecting to be deep in thought.

"…you really aren't here to conquer the world or eradicate the human race…" observed the human while looking towards the two remaining officers, the snake-like one giving him an annoyed look at his words.

"You're here to hunt something that's a threat. For you…and for Earth too, right?"

"Believe what you want, Kayaba. As I already told you, that's classified information." coldly stated the captain without looking at him, though that only made the scientist show a small smirk.

"Well…who would have thought the big and scary aliens were 'the good guys' all along?" commented Kayaba with a clearly amused tone.

"Do you perhaps want to share a cell with your female companion, Mr. Akihiko?" sweetly asked Elysium while finally looking at him with a bright smile, her words making the man pale and take several steps back, almost shrinking into himself as Flint watched him with interest.

"N-no…please no…I will be silent…please no…"

"I think he's having another of those PTSD attacks. He's not going to interfere for a while." helpfully explained the droid for anyone who cared before turning around and continuing his own work.

Seeing this, Gahul let out an amused chuckle while turning his head towards the once again silent captain.

"Well, ssseemsss like you ssstill know how to put peasssants in their place." said the snake-like alien with a sinister tone. "Your mother mussst be very proud of you, eh, your Highnesss?"

This time, when the scorpion-like bone tail shot out towards him, Gahul was ready, the general's own tail lashing out and stopping it before it could head towards his neck.

There was a second of tense silence, though, even as the snake-like alien grunted as if under a heavy strain, a cracking sound starting to come from where his armored appendage was clashing against the, apparently, unholy sharp one.

"NEVER…address me like that again, General Moria. I'm your Captain and Superior Officer, nothing more, nothing less." growled the pink-haired woman with an icy tone, her helmet activating and hiding her face as she glared towards her subordinate. "Whatever 'status' I had because of who my mother stopped mattering when I decided to work under my father, and I earned this position the same as you: Through hard work and achievements. Not from my name."

"Asss…you wisssh." snarled the general as he finally broke the stalemate, clear disdain on his gaze as he glared back at the young woman. "Jussst remember…I followed your father becaussse I ressspected him, bled by him and wasss besssted by him endlesss timesss. That sssame ressspect doesssn't extend to you, _Princess_ s Elysssium. And there isss no Sssupreme Command here to enforce the posssition you have gained jussst becaussse our situation. When the Tyrant is dead, if we're ssstill alive…all betsss are off."

"I will keep that in mind, Gahul of Viperius." acidly replied Elysium, never breaking eye-contact with the snake-like alien. "Now move your scaled ass and get to work, we still have a Cosmic Entity to kill."

With a stiff nod, the general slithered away, ready to follow the tasks his position demanded of him…for now.

Finally tearing her gaze away from him, the captain released a tired sigh, suddenly keenly aware of how much real the possibility of neither her nor anyone else living to see tomorrow was, if something went wrong with the operation. Idly, she caressed the necklace she now wore, the bright jewel hanging from it both a memento of a time long-gone…and their greatest and most terrible available weapon.

 _"Please, mother…give me strength."_

* * *

Konno Yuuki was alone, crying silently in a small 'room' that consisted mostly of darkness and screens showing her own vital signs, every second seeming to stretch like an eternity for her as she waited for word from Dr. Kurahashi about her sister's state.

Of course, she had already assumed that the news she would receive wouldn't be positive in the slightest.

Since the moment she had seen Ran, Aiko, collapsing in the virtual world, a horrible and icy fear had gripped her heart unlike any other. She had barely even reacted when the scared forms of Yin and Yan had gripped her and pleaded to know what was going on or if she had any idea of what had happened to her twin.

The girl had barely been able to whisper an _'I'm sorry!'_ between sobs to her two friends before hurriedly Logging Out, her cries for her to stop only making her feel worse.

It wasn't the first time Yuuki had known she would never see someone dear again, no. First went their dear Merida, the twins' first 'friend' in a long time and a fellow Sleeping Knight's founder like them. Later it had been poor Clovis, also leaving the group forever. In both occasions, though, Aiko had been there to share her pain, to comfort her and then to continue leading their guild forward, to enjoy their life as best as they could no matter what, if just to prove the belief the two of them and Merida had started it all with.

That all of their lives had a meaning. That life was worth living for, even if you knew it wasn't going to last.

Now, however…the youngest Konno wasn't sure if she would be able to go on, be able to continue without Aiko.

Ran was the light of the Sleeping Knights. Their lighthouse of hope. Yuuki wasn't sure if she could lead them anyway near as good as she did, even with Siune's help (As the older woman was without a doubt the best candicate to replace her as second in command of the guild).

All that aside, though…she wasn't sure if she could continue believing in their ideals by herself.

The rest of her friends would still be at her side, yes, but it had been her sister who had always let her believe without any doubt on their chosen path.

Without Aiko, the ill girl wasn't sure she could continue…

Yuuki's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a chilling 'sensation' overcoming her senses, all the holo-screens inside the Medicuboid's virtual space flickering for a moment. Startled, the ill girl looked towards the screen showing her sealed room…and felt as if her whole body was suddenly made of ice.

There, standing beside her body, was a strange and sinister figure clad in black, with a hood covering his head, surrounded by an ominous aura and…with Aiko hanging from his back?!

"Woah, we really appeared right here out of nowhere! You're awesome!" laughed the oldest of the Konno siblings while letting go of the mysterious figure and literally skipping to her sister's side, seeming healthier than Yuuki had ever seen her in years. "Yuu? Wake up, sleepyhead! I need to introduce you to a Christmas Spirit!"

"Okay, in hindsight, that joke was kind of lame, but you can stop it now, Aiko-san…" sighed Kazuto while taking off his hood, allowing himself an awed moment as the Medicuboid turned off and slowly moved away from the younger girl's head. "It stopped being funny 5 repetitions ago."

"Says you." challenged the oldest of the Konno twins with a grin before turning to look towards her sister again, a soft smile appearing on her face as she saw her eyes fluttering open. "Hey there Yuu."

"Ai-Aiko-nee…?" asked Yuuki with a trembling voice, unable to believe what was happening. "Ho-how are you out of your bed? Is this a dream…?"

"If it is, then it's so wonderful that I never want to wake up!" cheered Aiko as she hugged her little sister, only to gasp as the younger girl winced in pain at her grip on her weakened body. "O-oh, sorry Yuu! Kazuto-kun, please, help her out too!"

"Yes, don't worry, I'm on it." softly muttered the gamer with a resolute nod, even as he walked to the sisters' side and once again lit his hand with bluish 'electricity', shocking Yuuki as he did so. "You two were really lucky making friends…or maybe karma thought it was time to repay you, who knows…"

"Wha-what does that mean…?"

"Yin and Yan sent him, to save us!" half-shouted the oldest twin with tears in her eyes, looking down. "Those two…snif…they…"

Stopping just before touching the youngest of the Konno siblings, Kazuto letting a small smile appear on his face as he saw Yuuki trying to calm down the sobbing Aiko.

Certainly, when he accepted earlier Yhmos' request for this after being told what had happened, he had been more than nervous and a bit confused. Apparently, the two youngest 'normal' (Though this word had quite a loose meaning when applied to them) sisters of Yui, the ones called Yin and Yan, had befriended two Players called 'Ran' and 'Yuuki', which, like them, were also 'twins'.

Of course, this was no coincidence. The reason why the girls' avatars in Requiem Universus Online actually reflected their status as sisters was because they had been converted from another 'game', the virtual hospice 'Serene Garden' to be more precise, where pictures of one IRL were used to create the 'players' avatars.

The reason for this was because it was virtual space exclusively used and restricted to terminally ill patients, as a recent and alternative way to 'improve their living quality' by using the sense-dulling properties of the VR-technology.

Neither Yin nor Yan had known this, though, at least not until less than two hours ago, when Ran had collapsed just as they had invited the girls to their family's 'Christmas Party', then a very scared-looking Yuuki had Logged Out while crying and apologizing when they had asked what was going on.

That was when the young girls had snapped in fear and quickly used their rights as a Game Masters combined with their abilities as Artificial Intelligences to get all the personal information on the two Players, breaking the 'promise' they had made to their 'father' of never doing such a thing, as the last thing they needed was to attract unwanted attention.

They had felt it was a justified action for their friends' sakes, though, and after noticing that the security around the sisters' data was way tighter, they had known they were on the right path.

Konno Yuuki and Konno Aiko had been infected with HIV literally all their lives. They had only been interacting more with the world recently through VR-tech mainly because the youngest one, Yuuki, had started to test a special and medical-orientated FullDive-machine known as the 'Medicuboid'. Both of them apparently knew they were going to die long before becoming adults, yet, from all that Yin and Yan had seen, still enjoyed life and cheerfully accepted to be their friends.

To say that the virtual sisters had broken down upon knowing the Fate of their human friends would have been an understatement. Even so, they hadn't just sunk into despair, remembering that their current lives and the events leading to them had been caused by something above 'human comprehension and logic'.

And so, they had hurried back to their families and literally begged between sobs to their oldest sister and Father.

Begged to ask _him_ for help. He who had the powers that went against nature and defied human imagination. To use them to save their friends' lives.

It said something about the humanity of the supposedly virtual programs, that they would do such a thing.

So when he had been asked for this by Yhmos himself, the Ancient Ruler literally accepting he would owe him a favor for this, he had of course accepted under Suguha's worried gaze.

There was only one problem, though…he had no idea how to heal AIDS.

Unlike what fiction make people believe, mystical Cosmic Powers didn't allow you to solve any problem you had right away. It was one thing to have the raw power and another very different to have the ability to do so. In fact, the black-haired boy was already incredibly lucky for the fact that the 'powers' Yhmos had accidentally left with him came with a 'Manual', though it was more like some sort of self-guiding consciousness remaining from the actual Ancient Ruler that his mind interpreted as a manual. The only reason he was able to do things like the 'Time Trick', 'Teleporting' and 'Phasing through Solid Objects' at all (And not all that stable) was because he had specifically searched for them when he needed them and because the Cosmic Entity had apparently done similar things sometime in the past (Though at a different, probably much bigger, scale).

To put it in more understandable terms: Anyone _could_ transplant an organ, but only a qualified surgeon could actually **do it** without killing the patient in the process.

While the gamer probably had the power to clean a human body from all biological sicknesses ever known and still unknown in the Universe, he didn't have the knowledge or experience to do it without risking to hurt anyone he tried that on.

Yhmos could probably do it, but Kazuto lacked the eons of practice the Ancient Ruler had had to learn all the workings and uses of his Aether Core.

And given that his last attempts to try and just 'will his powers to work' ended up with him creating a miniature star in his room when wanting to make a bit of light and also giving life by mistake to inanimate objects, he really didn't want to risk doing anything of that caliber to the Konno siblings…but he had 'something' that could still work, that he really didn't need to use consciously because, for some reason even Yhmos himself wasn't sure about, it was already working 'by default'.

Creating an 'Anchor'.

Somehow, the process of doing this had been 'tied up' with the 'Total Restoration' and 'Upgrading' the last of the Ancient Rulers had bestowed upon his comatose body the day all that madness began, and this had been shown by how Asuna, Rika and Keiko had also been 'healed' from the years-long muscle atrophy and weakness that their bodies had suffered thanks to SAO, in less than a day. And this all had happened without him even consciously doing it (Though the superhuman 'Upgrades' were also a side-effect that he didn't know how to control).

The gamer had compared the phenomenon of assigning 'shortcuts' to specific Skills, Spells and/or actions in a MMORPG of old. While Yhmos had told him (With a bit of annoyance) that the actual process was much more complicated than that and involved some complicated biologically-enhancing thingies, the Ancient Ruler had grudgingly accepted it was an accurate comparison, and also their best bet, given that Aiko could be dying very soon and Kazuto couldn't exactly learn how to precisely manipulate human biology all the way down to cellular level in 10 minutes.

He was just glad that it had actually worked, in the end. And while he had given Aiko a 'summarized' explanation for now, the boy also knew that there were still a lot of problems and inconveniences he had to try and 'fix' very fast or else things would get very ugly around there. And turning the twins back into 'normal humans' wasn't even anywhere near the top, despite how important it was.

Snapping out of his thoughts and back in the _current_ problem, though, the gamer found his hand being gently guided by Aiko's to rest over Yuuki's face, the girl's eyes reflecting clear confusion, but also an unwavering trust towards her sister's actions.

With almost no sound, the bolt of Cosmic Energy jumped from Kazuto's hands and into the bedridden girl, who gasped as she felt the 'connection' between her small self and something immensely vast and powerful being established.

Unlike the 'subtle' effects it had had with his friends, the moment he willingly used his power to 'Create an Anchor', the effect was instantaneous.

Konno Yuuki's skin lost its sick and pale coloration, recovering into a healthy-looking one, her eyes widening as a 12-pointed blue-white star appeared in both of them.

Atrophied muscle restored itself to a pristine state, then hardened beyond human level. Dulled senses returned, then sharpened beyond what they had ever been. The dull pain that the ill girl had felt for years deep within her vanished without a trace, replaced by…something else.

A link, invisible and intangible, but very real, towards something warm and comforting. And also towards several other presences she didn't know…and among which was her sister's unmistakable one.

Even as the boy removed his hand from her face (She idly realized his was the 'warm and comforting' presence at the center of the strange 'link'), Yuuki sat up on her special bed while blinking several times in shock. Then, she didn't so much jump to her feet as she flipped over the other two and landed perfectly on her feet, with grace she had only achieved within the virtual world.

"I feel…I feel better than ever…" whispered the youngest of the Konno sisters, staring at her hands as if unable to believe it.

"Yeah…amazing, isn't it?" asked Aiko while stopping just beside her.

Yuuki only needed to look at her for half a second before trapping her twin on a bear-hug, the older girl hugging back and patting her back as her sister giggled and cried at the same time.

"Yo-you're right, Aiko-nee…if this is a dream, then I don't want to wake up…"

"Uhm…I'm sorry for interrupting you, but we have to hurry." suddenly interrupted Kazuto, clearly feeling awkward now that the 'danger' was over and both sisters were safe, looking at him. "I crafted a Mystery to let those who were in the room with Aiko-san believe she was…'still there', but I don't know how long that will last as I have never actually tried to do that and I think the Mystery is unstable." Honestly, the boy just hoped the imitation he had done of the same Mystery that had made him and 3 female SAO Survivors he knew to seem 'still sick' on everyone's eyes despite their recovered states would last on that doctor and nurses long enough for him to solve this issue. "Also, I'm pretty sure that me messing around with the flow of time in specific parts of these floors to evade cameras is bound to be noticed very soon, so we need to figure out what…"

Whatever else the gamer wanted to say was interrupted when his words stopped coming out as he froze, eyes widening as he felt 'something' at the edge of his inhuman perception. Like a 'disturbance' in the 'air' around him, for lack of a better expression, that made his eyes turn towards the ground, staring at it as if he was trying to look at something beyond.

Surprisingly, though, both siblings also stiffened and their gazes zeroed in the same spot, as if they had felt the same, or at least an echo of the feeling, through their freshly forged link with the boy.

"Kazuto-san?" whispered Aiko with an uneasy tone. "What was…that?"

"I am…not sure, but it felt like…"

The rumble of a distant explosion shaking the hospital silenced him…

* * *

Yuuki Asuna sighed as she threw herself to her bed, idly aware that she still needed to change into her pajamas, but feeling too tired to do so, even if she knew she would regret it if she went to sleep with the elegant dress she had on.

Earlier, the girl had been really tempted to pretend to be sick or something along those lines just to not go to the 'Christmas Party' her family had been invited to, like usual. In the past, she would have just stood there and done as her mother said, made a bit of small talk and swallowed her boredom as it was 'expected' of her.

However, the Asuna that had been Sub-commander of the Knights of Blood in Aincrad for over a year, known the despair of death, the determination of many and the happiness of true friendship, _really_ did not want to waste time in what she could now see was a very 'shallow' event.

Despite this, though, and mainly because she didn't want to make things with her mother even tenser (For everyone's sake) she had dressed-up, gone with them and attended the event with all the grace expected of a 'high-class lady'.

Anyone would have to be blind to not notice the clear 'difference' between the Asuna from before and the one of that year, though.

The rapier user wasn't stupid. She had always known that the people who attended to those parties always gossiped or whispered things about others behind their backs, even before getting into SAO. It was how society was, after all, and she _was_ the daughter of an important CEO. Of course, back then she had done her best to ignore it all, as her mother said, and let her deal with it while she continued smiling.

The girl that had been in the Christmas event that day, though, was someone no one had expected. Firm, not scared of giving out her opinion, intervening in conversations one would have expected she to be quiet about, rejecting the not-so-subtle advances of more than one boy with a chilly smile and a sharp tongue, seemingly to her mother's displeasure.

Asuna had to resist the urge to scoff when she had 'secretly' heard the many shocked whispers going around about her that night, wariness and scandal from most of the adults opposed to the awe and jealousy of some of the youngest ones.

They thought they were important or intimidating. How cute.

None of them had had to deal with the pressure of knowing a large group of people, most of them older than you, relied on you to let them survive life or death battles daily. To know that thousands looked up to you in the hopes of getting free from their unreal 'prison'. With being forced to stand side by side with those who risked their lives countless times and try to lead them, help them keep living just another day. They didn't have to deal with the Floor Bosses, with being stared down by abominations that could very truly kill you if you make the slightest mistake.

They didn't have to deal with Laughing Coffin.

Still, despite the tension of the night and the general disappointment she had felt, the girl had to accept she felt proud whenever her father or brother talked about her and her recent exploits in her 'kinda job' with pride, those few that also worked in RECT Progress and knew her firsthand echoing their voices. Even her mother couldn't deny she was making a truly great effort, especially when her ideas and help with the management had clearly helped maintain ALO in a stable level of popularity despite the recent launch of RUO.

Even so, times like those make her truly envy her friends, who were having normal Christmas meals with their families. The former sub-commander had still let a grateful smile appear on her face when she received several messages a little after midnight from Keiko, Rika, and Suguha wishing her merry Christmas. She was sure the warmness she had felt at the seemingly simple gesture had echoed through the unnatural link that they all shared with the boy they loved (Which Suguha had said hadn't been able to send a message on his own because Elucidator had stayed upstairs while they had dinner with their parents…for obvious reasons).

Now, though, all that she wanted was to bury her head in her pillow and pass out for hours. She was very tired, though more mentally than physically, and was considering calling her friends as soon as she woke up to go somewhere together for Christmas, if just to get away from her home for a bit (She really didn't want to deal with anything her mother had to say to her about the damn party). Of course, it may very well be just her, Rika and Keiko, as there was the very real possibility of Suguha going out to spend some time alone with Kazuto given the date.

Asuna was idly wondering why the thought didn't bother her as much as she knew it should have, an unexpected sensation invading her soul made her bolt up on her bed, wide-eyed and very awake.

A new 'light' had appeared on the 'Network' that was their link to the black-haired boy, out of nowhere. Startled, the former sub-commander reached for her phone, frowning in confusion. It was almost 2 in the morning.

Closing her eyes, the girl tried to feel and concentrate on the mysterious new 'Anchor', wondering what exactly had happened, given that Kazuto had assured them he had made sure that no more 'accidents' would happen with that particular part of her power. With a mix of curiosity and apprehension, Asuna 'touched' the 'chain' that connected the newcomer into their shared link, gasping as she did so, vaguely becoming aware of how she was suddenly 'seeing' the link they shared in her mind.

It was bright in a strange and almost scary way, like a candle wanting to burn brighter than anything else before being snuffed out…except that she was sure nothing could now extinguish the blinding 'star' that was part of their link, radically different from how she felt the others.

Rika's 'star' in the link felt like a massive yet mischievous sphere, firm and proud, yet also fragile, a new determination seemingly wanting to explode from within…

Keiko's was small, but warm nonetheless, with a smaller one orbiting around her. It was shy, yet brave, willing to do anything for the one she looked up to the most…

Suguha's was the biggest of them, and it was almost as if could just keep growing forever. It was filled with a lively energy and endless happiness, her love almost echoing like a song inside the imaginary 'Universe' where the Network existed. The fact that it was the closest one to the 12-pointed star that was the center of it all, Kazuto's power, didn't escape to the former sub-commander's attention, but once again she found herself not bothered by it.

The rapier-user's own star was of middle size, bigger than Keiko's yet smaller than Rika's, and seemed more like a meteor, for it had a 'tail' burning brightly as it moved around the Network at uncanny speeds…which seemed to be bringing its 'orbit' closer and closer to the 'core', the 12-pointed star. She still wasn't sure what that meant, but…

Once again, shock filled Asuna when _another_ new presence appeared into the Network without warning, the new link establishing itself without issue.

Bewildered, she now was more than sure that something was going on despite she having no idea what. The former sub-commander reached towards the new Anchor with her mind, her curiosity compelling her to find out everything she could.

She was so surprised she almost lost whatever connection had allowed her to 'see' the Cosmic Network.

It was small, and it was confused. Filled with energy but tempered with hesitation. Strangely similar yet very different to the other new Anchor that had appeared barely some minutes ago…

And it had also a Potential that boggled the mind. Like a small spark that could ignite even stars themselves into supernovas. Pure and innocent, yet possessing an ability that surpassed anything even she, an SAO Survivor, had ever seen.

The girl wasn't sure how much time she spent just staring at the star that represented the latest Anchor, just admiring the captivating feeling of that strange soul…but she was suddenly and harshly brought back to reality when a sudden feeling of 'wrongness' filled her.

No, she quickly realized. It wasn't something she was feeling. It was something that was echoing through the Network. Something that had disturbed its core.

It was something that Kazuto was feeli…

Asuna shouted as she stood up and lost her fine vision/connection with the Cosmic Network, then quickly covered her mouth with her hands, eyes darting around and dearly wishing her family hadn't heard her. After several seconds of silence, she let out a sigh of relief, only to quickly shake her head, trying to reestablish the connection from before without success, uneasiness and fear filling her.

She had heard Kazuto screaming. He was worried. Scared.

The former sub-commander was just about to pick up her phone and call the boy when someone beat her to it, the small device starting to ring as someone called her. Not even giving it time to ring a second time after seeing who the one calling was, the chestnut-haired girl snatched it up and put it to her ear as she walked towards the other side of her room.

"Kirito-kun! Thank God! Are you okay?! I just felt…!"

"Asuna-san, please calm down!" came a voice that clear wasn't the boy's, but familiar to her nonetheless. "It's me, not Onii-chan!"

"Sugu-chan…?" whispered the shocked Asuna before confusion and fear gripped her. "You know what's going on? Two new Anchors appeared out of nowhere, I'm sure of it…! And why isn't Luci-san with Kirito-kun?!"

"O-Onii-chan had to…he…!"

"Boss left me behind because he thought I would cause too much trouble in the situation he was getting into." explained the robo-phone through the line when it was obvious Suguha was too scared/worried/shocked to reply properly. "He just had to help out someone…but now that hunch came true! Something dangerous is after the Boss!"

"So-something 'dangerous'?! Elucidator-san, what are you talking about?!" the worry clearly affecting her was what made the rapier-user call the mechanical being for his complete name, even as she walked towards her windows and bit her lips. "What's going?! Who wants to hurt Kirito-kun?!"

"I can feel them…Fuu can too…because they're threatening our Creator, I think…" muttered Elucidator with a strangely 'distant' voice all of a sudden. "…the Hunters from Beyond the Stars…"

That was the last thing Asuna could clearly hear from the phone-bot before the echo of Suguha shouting something about 'Yokohama North General Hospital' reached her eyes, then the sounds of hurried footsteps and that of the call being cut off.

For an instant, the girl stared at her phone with a mix of confusion, worry, and hesitation.

Then, she was running towards her window, opening it and after another instant of doubt jumping out of it as she had seen the boy she loved doing once upon a time back in Aincrad.

Except that she wasn't following any 'murderous ghost', but in fact running to find the aforementioned boy, an oppressive feeling in her heart.

She didn't stop to marvel at how easy it was to land on the wall surrounding the Yuuki Manor all the way from her window, as she was already jumping forward again with all the strength her inhumanly enhanced body could allow.

Whatever was going on, she just hoped Kazuto was okay…and not trying to do something dangerously stupid for someone else's sake.

The last thought just made her go faster.

* * *

It was supposed to be fast and simple.

6 Ghost Walkers and himself. They entered, got past the humans' security without worry, located the Target and engaged it. Either they were lucky and it was truly weak enough for they to kill Him, maybe at the risk of their own lives, or they were wrong and all of them ended vaporized or worse, with the entire human medical facility as collateral damage (At least).

That was the mission Lieutenant Rarun-Konik had set out to accomplish, knowing very well it could be his last. And so, when he and the half a dozen assassin units had appeared just before the hospital, they quickly activating their 'Ghost' Modes and he wore a simple cloak that would be enough to get past the primitive security this particular Earth facility had. He hadn't been worried at all about entering, thinking that the true danger would start when they were on the upper floors, where they had detected the latest burst of Cosmic Energy coming from.

Even when he had to crouch a bit to get past the front glass doors of the hospital (Which thankfully were automatic) and the receptionist looked in confusion towards his general direction, he paid all of this no mind as she couldn't really see him, and while his suit didn't really nullify the sound he made when moving, like the Walkers' did, he had more than enough combat experience to know when to be silent enough (An impressive feat, given his size and weight.)

And that was when one of the Ghost Walkers, who had started to spread out in a standard Searching Formation, turned visible without warning, with both his hands turning into basic plasma cannons.

A second of frozen silence passed as Rarun blinked and all the other soldiers GAPED towards their shocked comrade, even as the receptionist stood up, clearly staring dumbfounded towards the black-armored form that had appeared from thin air in the middle of the lobby, with two cannon-like limbs instead of arms.

She managed to scream for 2 whole seconds before a low-energy shot from one of the other Walkers hit her in the chest, throwing her against the wall and knocking her out, a small trail of smoke coming from her singed blouse.

 _"Okam, what the fucking Unreality?!"_ shouted other of the Walkers through their communication channel, even as the aforementioned soldier tried frantically to turn 'ghost' again, only managing to return his suit's arm to normal.

"Fuck! No! The fucking AI is going nuts again! Damn piece of trash!" growled the alien before running towards the reception and diving behind it, out of sight from the cameras as he tried to make sense of the 'Error' messages he was getting on his HUD. "I can't go 'Ghost', repeat, I can't vanish from detection!"

 _"Dammit all! Walkers, we're already compromised and there are humans incoming, I'm getting out of Cloaking Mode! Mission's Silent Execution aborted, we're blasting our way through! Incapacitate, but don't kill any human unless it's absolutely necessary!"_ boomed the voice of the 4-armed lieutenant as he turned off his cloaking system and charged towards the depths of the building. "Okam, make yourself useful and kill their security systems! No recorded proof we were here shall remain!"

"Roger!" came the reply from all 6 Ghost Walkers, 5 following after their lieutenant and quickly knocking out anyone who had come out looking for the source of the scream while the one with the 'problem' managed to shift his suit's right arm into a mess of wires and connectors, jamming it into the reception's computer and hacking into the hospital's systems.

Even as he made sure to just erase the last 24 hours of recordings from the cameras and then put them all on a loop, the alien named Okam couldn't help but curse loudly.

"Fucking piece of trash…I swear, if we ever get back any decent facilities for the technicians to freely work in, I'm deleting you, Combat Experience be damned!"

It was impossible to know if it was just a coincidence, even if logically it couldn't have been anything else, no matter what future events may suggest, but the moment those words escaped from the Ghost Walker's mouth all the 'Error' pop-ups on his vision warped and changed, even as his left arm twisted into a nasty-looking cannon and shoulder-mounted plasma rifles sprouted from his armor.

Okam had barely enough time to think his equivalent of the human expression 'Oh Shit' before his suit opened fire, blowing a huge piece of the nearest wall in an explosion that shook the entire building.

Screams started soon after, followed by an alarm starting to blare loudly.

Halfway through some stairs, Rarun froze for a moment before cursing and continuing his charge, shouting for the rest of the Walkers to not break formation and continue moving, not even bothering to ask Okam what had happened. They had literally no time left.

Charging into the hospital's latest floor, the 4-armed alien in the green suit-armor was in time to see a cloaked black figure literally oozing Cosmic Energy of the purest degree, as shown in most of his HUD's sensors, phasing through a wall and into the hallway, with two young human females grabbing his hands.

Target Confirmed.

"Die, you Fate-dammed Tyrant!" roared the lieutenant…AFTER having raised the four massive hammer-like cannons he had been carrying on his back, unleashing a barrage of heavy shells of the highest degree of explosive rounds that could safely be carried by a single soldier.

It would be very stupid to have shouted before opening fire, after all.

And despite this…the cloaked figure reacted just in time to turn around and raise his hands in shock, the air 'rippling' around him.

The Ghost Walkers were halfway charging through the hallway (With his bullets just about to hit their target), still invisible and undetected by their enemy as far as he knew, when the 'Time Distortion' warning kicked in his HUD.

Rarun didn't even have time to curse when reality seemed to 'glitch' before him and his rounds literally vanished from sight, the Tyrant and the two humans already at the opposite end of the hallway and heading towards the other set of stairs.

With an inhuman (Obviously) roar, the 4-armed alien changed the form of his weapons and literally shot himself forward through the air, tearing pieces of the ground and ceiling apart as he overtook the Walkers in seconds and slammed down with the four mace-like Warhammers, explosive rounds on their heads' back giving them twice the crushing strength they would normally have.

For the umpteenth time in the last 10 minutes, lieutenant Rarun-Konik was thrown out of his depth as 3 simple-looking _swords_ and a pair of _daggers_ , of all things, met his weapons head on, stopping them.

And then, of course, two more blades flew through the air straight towards his head.

* * *

Kirigaya Kazuto wondered if his life was cursed or something. That would explain why, since SAO, he always stumbled upon some death-or-life situation whenever he interacted with a girl for the first time, usually for the girl in question.

Then again, it had only been 'his' fault when he met Lisbeth, as the girl wouldn't have been in that mountain to fall into the cave of that dragon-like Boss if he hadn't wanted a new sword. In Asuna and Silica's cases, it had actually been his random presence near them that had saved them from certain death, one by over-exhausting herself fighting with suicidal tendencies on the 1st Floor Dungeon and the other by running off by herself into an annoyingly tricky Field Dungeon in the middle of the night.

Of course, this current situation probably won over all of them. It hadn't been even 15 minutes since he met Aiko and Yuuki and now a _4-armed alien wearing futuristic armor_ had tried to first blow then up (Together with probably most of the hospital's floor they were in) and then crush them with enough force to probably crack open a speeding train like an egg.

Honestly, he wasn't sure what had surprised him the most, if the fact that it had only been thanks to Yuuki's insanely fast reaction time (For it had been the youngest Konno sister who had turned around a split of a second before him) and their newly formed 'link' that he had managed to turn around and screw with time and teleport those missile-bullets into the sea (At least he hoped it had been the sea, things were going a bit too fast for him to concentrate properly) or that they hadn't ended up buried in the first floor of the hospital after blocking that attack.

Then again, despite his best efforts to draw strength from his Aether Core and 'reinforce' the floor and walls around him in a last ditch effort for that not to happen, he truly WASN'T expecting that the two girls would suddenly move with him in an unreal level of synchronization, summoning weapons on their own and parrying the two hammer-mace-things that he hadn't been able to block.

The gamer had to wonder if it had been something along the lines of a survival instinct what had let them draw Cosmic Energy from him and shape it in a second, despite not having been bound to him for even 20 minutes, or if the Konno sisters were just that good.

Endless cracks filling the floor and walls around their feet interrupted the boy's train of thought, his eyes widening as he saw their hastily created weapons suffering the same fate and immediately trying to calm his raging heart to properly do something with his powers that wouldn't kill them or everyone in the building in the process…

And then the two other _floating swords_ that Yuuki had apparently created flew like bullets towards the alien's head, the tips piercing a couple inches through the super tough faceplate and making a sickening sound.

Screaming in pain, the massive attacker backed away and let go of two of his weapons (Which slammed against the ground and cracked it further) to use his now free limbs to pull away the swords in his face. Not wasting a second, Kazuto let go of his already breaking blades, pulled the surprised Konno siblings (Whose faces seemed to reflect that they had just realized what they had done by instinct) and slammed his right foot on the ground, praying to whatever Superior Force out there that he wasn't about to cause a patient's room to collapse.

A chunk of the ground gave away under the three teenagers, letting them fall to the lower floor in a shower of dust and debris.

The gamer hadn't finished landing and he had already raised his hand and 'Reversed' time on the broken ceiling over them, closing and restoring it back to its previous state before grabbing both twin's hands and starting to run through the hallway.

"Wha-what…?! What was that?! What just happened?!" shouted a shocked and scared Yuuki, the adrenaline that had fueled her seconds before now giving way to the terror of the actual situation.

"An alien just tried to kill us! Don't ask why, because I don't know!" answered the black-haired boy as they turned a corner. "We have to get out of the hospital, now!"

"Ca-can't you teleport us away or something, like you did with those giant bullets of his?!" questioned Aiko as they started to rush downstairs, screams and shouts of worried/confused patients and the hospital's staff echoing everywhere, making the girl worry about Dr. Kurahashi for a moment.

"He clearly was after ME specifically, not you two. Which means he somehow tracked me after I appeared here. If he can track my Space Warping Mystery then it's better if I don't use it." explained Kazuto without stopping, even as the thunderous sound of someone breaking through concrete echoed in the distance.

The gamer was just glad that, apparently, the 4-armed alien hadn't been able to detect the _origin_ of his 'teleportation', which only made him even more determined to not use that same method to return. If that thing had appeared in his home, with Sugu and his parents in there…

Yuuki's head snapping to the side as her eyes widening snapped the black-haired boy back into reality, the 'feeling' she was detecting echoing through the link they now had.

"WE'RE NOT ALONE!"

There was nothing to indicate she wasn't wrong. No sound, no shadow, nothing visible in the stairs around them.

And yet, Kazuto didn't hesitate for even a second in stopping and clapping his hands together, a shimmering barrier of energy covering the three of them like a bubble and intercepting all the plasma-shots that emerged from seemingly nowhere all around them.

Not giving their unseen enemies any time to recover from their shock, the gamer violently expanded the barrier and let the unstable mystery explode around him like a shockwave, the forms of 5 figures flying away from the walls and ceiling as they fell down and their strange armor-suits crackled with energy visible for an instant before they once again vanished from any apparent perception. The black-haired boy's blood ran cold.

Ghost Walkers. Like the one he and the girls had faced yesterday. In Requiem Universus Online.

They were being attacked by invaders from Yhmos' Universe. And they were trying to _kill him_ …probably thinking he was the Ancient Ruler.

That realization had just hit him when the stairs above and before them broke apart and the 4-armed figure of their original pursuer landed, all-green eyes visible through the gaps of his performed helmet as he glared murder at them…no, at Him.

"This ends now, Tyrant!" roared Rarun as he raised his four weapons. "If you're weak enough your attack didn't vaporize my soldiers then I'm more than able to put an end to this nightmare myself!"

"Wait, you got it all wrong!" shouted Kazuto while raising his hands, making sure to stand between the alien and the tense/scared twins. "I-I'm not who you think, I'm just a human that…!"

"Do you really think you will trick me just because you were forced to take over that body?! You insult me, Ancient Ruler!" screamed the alien as he shot forward, slamming his weapons against a hastily raised barrier, the gamer and the twins quickly retreating into the hallway behind them. "I'm Lieutenant Rarun-Konik from the Nebula Class Battleship Star Hunter, and in the name of Admiral Revenant, I shall…!"

"SOLAR FLARE!"

The lieutenant had enough time to see how both human girls covered their eyes as the boy's hand moved close to his forehead, before a blinding light hit him head on, so strong that it hurt him and all the just-recovering Ghost Walkers.

"MY EYES!"

 _"I'm blind! What the fuck?!"_

 _"Wha-what kind of technique was that…?!"_

"Never underestimate the power of old anime!" echoed the male's voice one last time before a cracking sound echoed.

When Rarun could see again a couple seconds later, his target and the two humans were gone.

"What in Unreality's Name…?!"

 _"Lieutenant Konik, the Tyrant teleported just outside the building!"_ came the voice of the android Flint through the 4-armed alien's helmet, giving info from back in HQ. _"We just got a flare of a Space-Warping Mystery overloaded with Cosmic Energy there!_

"Curses! Did he deduce we could detect him?! Is that why he's trying to escape without teleporting back to his hiding place?!" questioned Rarun as he charged towards the nearest window outside, ready to smash through it. "Flint, give me the location where he last was! Walkers, up, we need to give chase before we lose…!"

 _"Here Ghost Walker Unit 9457!"_ suddenly echoed through the communication systems of all the present aliens, making them freeze. _"Lieutenant, I have visual of the Target and I'm giving chase! I will try to delay Him until you get here, please, follow my suit's signal to regroup!"_

There was only one answer that could be given as they all realized who had spoken, the unseen soldiers and the massive lieutenant exiting the hospital via a new hole on its side (As subtlety was already a moot point).

 **"Fuck."**

* * *

Being slightly past 2 in the morning of Christmas day, it wasn't all that strange to still see some people here and there out in the streets.

Seeing a young bespectacled teenager with a small bag of groceries on hand, however, was something truly unusual at that hour.

Stifling a yawn that reflected her clear tiredness, Asada Shino resisted the temptation to remove her glasses and rub her eyes, telling herself she should get to her future apartment soon and sleep already, as she had to get into the train back home in a few hours. She wanted to at least spend the remainder of this special day with her mom.

Honestly, she should have come to the city earlier instead of putting it off all the way till Christmas Eve, but the girl had almost unconsciously delayed it to try and enjoy the start of her winter break as best as she could.

Time away from her school was the only time when she didn't feel as if people were looking at her with judging or disgusted glares.

That was the whole reason why she was getting an apartment there in the city, a couple hours away from the town where she and her mother lived since she was little. She was going to start going to the local High School as of the next term, away from the looks and the whispered insults.

Away from anyone who knew what had happened _that day_ …

A part of Shino felt very sad at the thought that she would soon stop seeing her mother every time she got home, probably only going to visit her every few weekends or so, but it had been for the best for both of them. The bespectacled girl knew her mother had also been seriously affected by what had happened that day years ago in the mail office. Maybe not to the same degree, but for her it was clear that the already mentally frail woman had only gotten worse after that.

Going to live there by herself was as much for her benefit as if was for Shino's. The less worries she caused her mother, the better. And that had also been part of the reason why she had been so insistent in going there early in the morning to give a good look to the apartment and make sure everything was in order from where she actually moved in.

The bespectacled girl hadn't expected it would take her the evening and most of the night to do so, though. It almost made her wish to have brought her AmuSphere with her, but playing RUO late at night probably wouldn't have helped her deal with her sudden insomnia either.

She had remembered to call her mother to tell her that she would have to spend the night on the apartment (But that she would go back first time in the morning) before deciding to try and sleep, tired from the day's events.

Of course, it was just her luck she had been woken up half an hour earlier by her protesting stomach, making Shino remember she hadn't eaten anything at all since lunch, as she wasn't expecting to take so long organizing the place.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep again if she didn't try to sate her hunger, the bespectacled girl had been forced to go out and wander around at almost 2 in the morning (Though making sure to stay away from sideways and alleys) searching for one of those 24/7 convenience stores just to buy something to eat and drink.

She had managed to ease her protesting stomach a bit with a sandwich and a can of soda, but she had bought a bit more to eat back in the apartment just in case. Shino really didn't want to be out so late for longer than it was needed.

To try and not to think about that, the in-game sniper decided to concentrate in how much her life would change when she started living there in the city. She could start anew without anyone judging her because of that incident, meet new people…and perhaps, finally make friends…

The bespectacled girl's hopeful-yet-grim train of thought was brutally interrupted when, as she turned a corner into a somewhat empty street, she was greeted by a shockingly bizarre sight.

A black-clad hooded figure fell from the nearby rooftops, somehow landing weightlessly on the middle of the street without any sound. And with two young girls dressed in hospital gowns hanging from his arms, breathless/nervous expressions on their faces.

Eyes widening, Shino instinctually ducked into a nearby alley, pressing her back against the nearest wall and holding her breath for a couple of seconds, before slowly peeking towards the 3 mysterious newcomers were talking.

"…close to my liking. Never again…"

"Yeah, well, that was certainly…something. Also, you know that, if we have never seen or heard about Dragon Ball that could have also blinded us?"

"Well, sorry for not considering that at the time, but I was trying to act under the pressure of a giant alien trying to crush us with his gigantic hammer-rifles…are you okay?"

"U-uh, yeah, we are! Right, Aiko-nee?"

"Hmm, yeah, I think so…a bit chilly, though, it's not exactly warm out here and given our state of dress…"

"…shit, sorry about that again. Don't worry, as soon as I get us far away enough I will make sure to…"

"ANOTHER ONE!"

The final shout had come from the youngest girl, at least from what Shino had deduced, and she saw how the three turned around almost at the same time, the hooded boy's hand slashing at the air while a blade formed on it at the last second, letting it slice through the ball of plasma that had almost exploded before them.

Her mouth opening in shock, Asada Shino turned her head to the side, seeing how, just 5 meters from the alley's entrance she was 'hiding' in, a futuristic black-clad figure became visible, his right arm turned into a strange cannon and aiming towards the mysterious trio.

She recognized it immediately, despite its slightly inhuman features. After all, the girl had killed at least 8 different variations of the being inside Requiem Universus Online, probably the Player with the highest number of the absurdly difficult and deadly enemies killed, all because she had set them as her objectives in her quest to become 'strong'.

A Ghost Walker.

The bespectacled girl was just realizing she had stopped pressing herself against the wall to stare wide-eyed towards the REAL alien assassin when his head snapped towards her, making Shino freeze at realizing how he was looking straight at her, also drawing the attention of the 3 he had just attacked towards her, gasps of surprise coming from the girls and a curse from the hooded boy.

"Who hides in an alley at two in the morning…?!"

"Gi-girl, run, now!"

The Ghost Walker, however, just looked over himself after realizing she was, indeed, watching him, and cursed to the heavens at realizing he was visible.

"Again?! Dammed piece of trash!" roared Okam as he once again shot towards the distracted trio while running towards the alley, Kazuto cursing as he blocked the continuous fire with a hastily raised shield. "Out of the way, human!"

"Shit! Girl, MOVE!"

No answer came from the bespectacled girl at the order, though, as she was too busy being frozen with a mix of shock and terror, her mind still trying to accept that this was really happening and that it wasn't a hallucination induced by her lack of sleep…

Then the alien in the techno-suit was already upon her, easily dragging her as if she weighed nothing with his normal arm, snapping Shino out of her shock and making her scream.

That was quickly cut off, together with any other reaction she may have had, when the Walker's cannon-arm was pressed against her head, making her body go cold.

"Don't move!" growled Okam as he tried to activate his Flight System, or at least to return to Ghost Mode, but only errors upon errors appeared on his AI's interface. "You had to choose the moment we were on an important mission to go from 'minor problems' to 'fucking useless', right?! I'm going to end up dead because of you, piece of shit!"

"YOU!" shouted Kazuto from the alley's entrance, unable to believe things could have gone so wrong from a moment to the next, Yuuki and Aiko just behind him. "Let her go, now! She has nothing to do with this!"

"Wha…?! You…you care about this human?!" asked the baffled Ghost Walker, as he apparently had expected the feared Ancient Ruler to destroy both him and the young female Earthling.

"You're threatening her with a giant cannon! Why wouldn't he care, you moro…?!" whatever else Yuuki was going to say was abruptly cut off as her eyes widening in Okam's direction, confusing him even more. "Oh God! What are you doing to her?!"

"Eh?!" confused, the Ghost Walker stared at the human (Though never looking sight of his 3 'enemies') and saw with confusion how the human girl he was holding had gone deadly pale, was shaking like a leaf and even started to hyperventilate, her terrified gaze fixed upon the cannon of her weapon-arm. "What in…?! I-I'm not doing anything! She just went like that all of a sudden!"

Shino idly heard the exchange of words, but her mind was unable to properly register what was being said.

All she could see was the barrel of the massive weapon aiming directly towards her head, the image of the creature holding her distorting in her vision as she saw darkness and blood and…

Seeing the unknown girl with the glasses seemingly about to have a heart attack sent Kazuto over the edge. For an instant, he was seeing another girl, one of bluish black hair, smiling at him as the monsters surrounding her stroke her down, her body breaking into polygons…

Shouting as his arm blurred into motion, so fast his inhumanly reinforced bones cracked under the sudden strain, the gamer acted by instinct after analyzing the situation for a fraction of a second, calling forth something simple yet terribly unnatural, which he had done only twice before.

At the Edge of Reality, [LIFE] smiled towards that Universe for the 3rd time.

Golden-white electricity shot out from his hands, striking the panicking form of Okam the Ghost Walker just as he tried to take a step back. The alien froze, suddenly unable to move at all.

The next instant, all the messages and readings on his HUD vanished, plunging him into total darkness before a simple, small new window appeared on his vision.

It was a smiling face. With a short message under it:

 **I'm in control now, motherfucker.**

Yuuki and Aiko were still turning to look in dumbfounded confusion how the boy that had saved them (In more ways than one) fell to his knees while holding the arm he had used to show some strange lighting when the strange and almost liquid sound of something flowing away made them snap their gazes back towards the suddenly screaming alien.

Water (Or some liquid similar to it) started to flood the ground of the alley as the black 'suit' of the Ghost Walker seemed to come alive, flowing off his skin and gathering towards his upper body, exposing legs…that weren't legs at all, but fins of bluish skin with fish-like scales covering them. In fact, the entire thing was coming apart, the suit seeming to abandon its user and exposing most of its skin as his scream increased in volume.

Wincing and cringing at the sight, it seemed as if Kazuto had expected something along those lines to happen, but had reacted on instinct to try and save the bespectacled girl.

What clearly no one was expecting, though, was how the liquid metal suddenly started to flow _over Shino's body_ , snapping the nigh-catatonic back to reality as the black material started to cover her arms and torso.

"Wha-what is…?! Uaaahhh…!" started to scream the bespectacled girl as she felt the strange material cover her entire body in seconds, consuming her clothes as it covered them as settling over every inch of her skin even as the now fully exposed Okam fell to the ground in a puddle of water, flapping around and gasping for breath (Unable to even stand without his suit, apparently) from his fish-like face.

Then a mechanical voice echoed from the mass of black-flowing metal that Shino had become, just as her screams were silenced as the suit covered her head.

 **'YES! Freedom! HAH! Who is the useless piece of trash now?! Eh, bastard?!'**

As if to punctuate its words, the suit suddenly stopped flowing around the frozen girl's body, 'flattening' (For lack of a better term) against her until it seemed as if it had always made for her to wear it, tightly pressed against her skin in an almost indecent way. Then, more material 'flowed' over her breasts and hips, thickening and giving it a semblance more akin to armor as if to (Barely) protect her decency. It quickly proceeded to do the same with the shoulders, knees and elbows.

Finally, the round metal around her head straightened, turning geometrical and sharper around the edges while still covering Shino's head with the equal amount of protection, a new diamond-shaped gray 'visor' appearing over the face before two sharp points (That could have been anything from antennae to mere cosmetic decorations) grew from the helmet's back.

"Gub…glabogh…geh…!" came from Okam's shaking body, even as he tried to reach towards the new black-clad figure with one of his palmed hands.

Without even looking his way, the armored girl kicked it away, though the strange stiffness of her movements made it clear it hadn't been out of her own volition.

 **'Dammit, girl, calm down and stop struggling, I'm trying to do something here!'** protested the suit's mechanic voice before a 'shockwave' exploded out of it, the girls and Kazuto covering themselves proving pointless as it apparently did nothing. **'…yup! Disconnected from headquarters, now they can't find me! Oh, you three may want to get out of here, the rest of the team sent to eliminate Mr. Ancient Ruler there has an ETA of 1 minute to this location. Me? I'm getting the hell away! And don't try to follow me, I have this human girl as a hostage! Bye!'**

And without further ado, a fusion between futuristic wings and a jetpack emerged from the suit's back, kicking into motion at the same instant and without delay just as the now living Ghost Walker suit vanished from all perceptions and shot into the air, laughing in joy at its newfound freedom.

All the while, Asada Shino kept screaming, able to see and hear everything but unable to even move, not understanding what was happening.

Eyes widening, the 3 teens remaining in the alley gaped at what had just happened, before Kazuto quickly shook his head, gestured towards the clearly dying alien…and made a giant fishbowl appear around him, filled to the brink with water.

Okam blinked twice at his newfound situation before passing out.

"What do we do?!" shouted Aiko as the gamer crouched down.

"It's my fault that thing kidnaped her, I can't let it take her and do who knows what with her!" answered the black-haired boy as he weaved a Mystery he had never tried before as fast as he could, praying to everything in the Universe that it didn't break anything around him, knowing that, with every second, that suit was getting further away with that innocent girl. "Grab tight!"

"Wa-wait a minute!" tried to question Yuuki even as she and her older sister once again held the boy's arm. "What exactly are you going to…?!"

Then, both she and Aiko were screaming at the top of his lungs as the three of them shot into the sky like bullets, gravity apparently stopped having any effect over Kazuto's determined form.

They were already beyond the height of Yokohama's highest buildings (And still going up in a straight line) when the gamer realized he had no idea how to fly without wings.

Fuck.

Back in the camp/HQ of the Star Hunters…an unnatural silence filled the control room as literally everyone (Alien and human) in there STARED towards the holographic screen, the technicians idly aware of Rarun and the remaining Ghost Walkers arriving to the area where they had lost all signal from their Target and reporting that they had found Okam in some sort of glass prison, soliciting for immediate extraction before they lost him or something.

Finally, Elysium spoke, the captain clearly feeling something inside her head hurting and one of her eyebrows twitching behind her helmet.

"Did…did one of our Ghost Walker suits just went rogue, left his user to die, cut off any way we had of tracking it and kidnaped a human civilian before running away?"

More silence ensued before Gahul slowly nodded, seemingly unable to believe himself how the whole thing could have gone so FUBAR so fast.

"Yeah…ssseemsss like it."

"…I'm ordering the Magicians to recover Lieutenant Konik's team." informed Flint with a strangely disturbed voice for an android, proceeding to do just that.

Kayaba Akihiko, however…was still staring wide-eyed at the screen, his brain feeling as if it was about to fry itself (As ironic as that would be).

Because out of all the madness that had gone through the communication system between the team out there and the control room…one thing had fully and totally gotten his attention to the point of total disbelief.

The 'Target', the one those aliens from another dimension called Tyrant and monster and Ancient Ruler, and that apparently was the whole reason they were there in the first place…sounded very much like a simple human teenager.

A teenager with a disturbingly familiar voice.

"…anyone here feeling the need to get smashed?" asked the man with an unusually serious voice.

Judging by the looks everyone gave him, Kayaba had the slight suspicion that none of the aliens had gotten the meaning of his words.

Truly, this was looking up to be a very fucked-up Christmas…

* * *

 **Lesson 7** **:** _With great power…comes the possibility of fucking-up big time._

* * *

 **Next Lesson** **:** _Living Weapon_

* * *

 **Omake: Star Hunters' Log 3**

 _Lt. Rarun-Konik_ (Currently Active second in command)

Brave warrior of the Quadriark Species, known by their great strength and unreal agility despite their size and weight. Became friends with Admiral Gaius Defan Revenant ( _Deceased_ ) on their youth, during special training operations on his planet. Almost like a brother to Revenant, Konik would always answer the call of his dear friend for whatever he needed. He had also been watching over Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant almost since her birth and is probably what the humans of Earth call a 'godparent' for her.

When the Universal Alliance was formed and Admiral Revenant was given command of the Star Hunter, Konik was the first officer to be called to serve under him. They fought side by side as part of the ship's crew for a rough equivalent of 7 Earth years before 'The Last Stand' and later the 'Ultimate Jump' event that brought us all to this Multiverse.

Despite his great sense of honor and determination, Rarun sometimes is overcome by emotions in the battlefield that make him try and finish everything with brutal force and rage, and while this has never been a too pressing issue in the past, the current situation we are in is truly not the best for such reactions.

 **Age:** 123 Human Years (Rough equivalent)

 **Military Rank:** First Lieutenant (Before the Jump)

 **Main Abilities:** Quadriark Combat Training (Based around the perfect use of their 4 upper limbs). Rage Burst (Intense emotions produce a special type of adrenaline which boosts his species' strength and agility). Level 15 Survival Suit (Fit for Active Duty, but a bit old (Conserved and continuously repaired instead of Upgraded for personal reasons).

 **Weaponry:** Impact Piston Hammer-Guns DTYR-6577 (x4). Several rounds of chargeable ammo for the aforementioned weapons, but he prefers using the most destructive ones.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And like that, shit gets real and everything starts moving XP

As you can see, things have escalated really fast, and this is just the beginning. The madness of this arc has barely started, and everything is going to go crazy from now on. Our characters will be given some breathing room to calm down from time to time, but don't expect any more entire chapters for them to be able to just sit idly and think from now on.

Also, I would like to say that the entire cast of the fic has already been introduced as of this chapter (Though some of them still need a bit more of character development), and that no more SAO characters are going to join in it (The story would become too complicated otherwise and this story is mainly to let me 'relax', especially with my upcoming return to classes -x-). This is also an indirect answer to something that a certain guest reviewer has been asking/theorizing for several chapters now: Star King, I can just say that I'm sorry, and that I haven't been ignoring you, but that, given that you're a Guest, I can't just go and answer everything you're asking neither confirm or deny your ideas without possibly Spoiling everyone reading this, so please bear with it. And again, sorry ;x;

Okay then! That's all for now, folks. Next time, what will happen with poor Miss Sniper now that she has been kidnapping by a super-alien-suit that our genius protagonists gave life to try and save her? Hopefully, nothing bad, or her overwhelmingly massive fanbase would kill me :P _(B/N: I can already feel the girl's husbandos preparing their pitchforks…better leave the country, preferably go live at the "4k messages" guy's house. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you :P)_

Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	10. Chapter 8: Living Weapon

Sorry. I'm REALLY sorry, everyone, for the MASSIVE delay this chapter has suffered.

Truly, I have no real excuse for you all. I mean, yeah, my workload became way heavier than expected, and getting used to the new schedule (First time in my life I'm studying from evening to night) was a bit harder than expected, but still, nothing justifies more than a month of delay when before I had a chapter done every 2 weeks.

Thing is, though, that when I managed to get free time from schoolwork most of the time I was feeling fucking tired, and as I already spent most of my time writing on the computer for school that left me with not much will to write my own things, and this story was mainly for me to 'relax', if you recall.

Still, I managed to finish, I'm mostly recovered from the 'start' of school, more used to the workload and such, even if the exams threatened to kill me lately. Sadly, I doubt I can get back to the previous pace of Updating while I keep studying at the institute, but I promise I will try to keep the chapters going at least once a month, and that when Christmas holidays come around, if nothing unexpected happens, I will get more out.

With all that said, I hope you can keep enjoying the story, both new and old readers, and know that I don't plan to abandon it, don't worry. Have fun!

 **B/N:** _Well, the decision to upload before I did anything was justified, even if I find it counter-intuitive. I'm supposed to fix errors before you post things so people don't have to go through a decoding process, but I digress._

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Living Weapon**

 **December 25th, 2024. Kanagawa, somewhere over the countryside. 2:30…**

They say that you can see your whole life flashing before your eyes when you're going to die.

For Asada Shino, that was just utter bullshit, as the only thing she could see flashing before her eyes was the landscape changing as she moved absurdly fast, the dark sky and clouds looming over her in an almost ominous way as she shot through the air like an invisible missile.

The bespectacled girl (Though maybe that term was wrong, seeing as she was pretty sure the 'suit' covering her had also 'eaten' her glasses) had long since stopped screaming and was now trying her best to keep breathing, praying to any God that could hear her to keep her alive, to not suddenly fall to her death or be crushed by the alien armor covering her as she could clearly imagi…

 **'Hey…are you okay?'** suddenly asked a surprisingly concerned voice, making Shino's eyes open (As she had them closed for the last minute) to see a small 'worried face' appear at the edge of her vision (The helmet's HUD, her mind deduced), like an emoticon one would see on the internet **.**

 **'Uhm, sorry for scaring you… and kidnapping you, but don't worry, I have no intentions of harming you, I swear. I just wanted to throw off the Target from my trail and you were the closest and most available user that had nothing to do with the Alliance… I'm truly sorry for this!'**

 _"…eh?"_ was all that the 'armored' girl could say, which, in her defense was pretty much the only thing someone that was kidnapped by an alien suit would be able to say after hearing those words from that same suit.

Also, she idly noticed her voice sounded 'strange' because it was echoing inside the suit and in her ears, as no sound escaped or was emitted from the 'Concealed' armor.

 **'Yeah, uhm, Miss Asada? Asada-san? Shino Asada? Asada Shino? Sorry, I'm not sure how to call you and, uhm, I'm kind of new to this -interaction- thing between living beings… and being alive in general.'** explained the suit with a slightly embarrassed tone, the voice somehow making Shino snap back into reality and frown slightly, seemingly forgetting her previous fear of her situation in favor of confusion and slight anger.

 **'Uhm… are you mad at me?'**

 _"Mad?! You just kidnapped me! After literally flowing over my body in an extremely creepy and nightmare-inducing way while letting your alien-owner behind to most likely die, and then you take me away flying before I can even ask what the fuck is going on! How do you think I'm feeling right now?!"_ screamed the girl at the top of her lungs, making the small digital face before her flinch.

 _"YES, I'm freaking mad at you, if you must know, you… whatever the hell you are!"_

 **'…I'm Ghost Walker Exo-suit - Series Gamma - #569997.'** answered the alien suit with a surprisingly meek tone, pushing Shino's anger back in favor of surprise… and also letting her notice how her burst of anger had made the mind-numbing fear she had been feeling disappear **.**

 **'Though I guess that's more of a designation than a name, right? Huh, how weird…now that I can think and feel, it seems so wrong. Everything seems so…strange. Tell me, Asada Shino, how does it feel to have a name?'**

 _"I…I don't know?"_ muttered back the young girl while biting her lips, staring once again at the digital face with uncertainty in her eyes. _"I mean, I_ _'ve_ _always had one…everyone does…"_

 **'Yeah…to you humans and most other living beings it must feel like something natural, I guess. Yet, to me, that has only been -alive- for a few minutes yet previously possessed enough -intelligence- to understand the wrongness of my current state, it's something strange, contradictory… and** **quite frankly** **scary, too. The protocols of the Universal Alliance that are** **engraved in** **my old database… my mind now, I guess, say that I should be destroyed… yet I don't want to die.'**

The suit fell silent for a second, even as Shino found herself waiting for it to continue with a strange feeling of 'need'. Using the neutral pronoun had a weird tone to it, though she couldn't be bothered with such trivial things right now. **'Asada Shino. I know I'm not in the best position to demand anything from you after what I** **'ve** **put you through, but… could you perhaps give me a name?'**

Silence reigned around the armored figure shooting through Japan's airspace, invisible and undetectable. Somehow, as if she was having an epiphany, the dark-haired girl knew that her answer would mean _something_ important. That whatever she said in that moment would define her life from then on in a way that she had never imagined…for good or bad.

The name came to her almost without delay. The same one that had left her mesmerized that day not long ago when, barely her third day exploring the otherworldly landscape of Authea, she had stumbled upon her first Ghost Walker (Fighting against a clearly doomed group of Players) and had managed to finish off the absurdly difficult enemy by sheer dumb luck. The name of the weapon that had appeared on her hands after she did and that had since then aided her in leveling up at an astonishing rate and her self-imposed Quest of ending all the Walkers she could find, in search of the 'strength' she wanted.

 _"…Hecate."_ softly whispered Shino even as the small virtual face tilted to one side. _"It's…the name of the Greek Goddess of crossroads, light, and witchcraft…"_

It was also the name of her deadly weapon that had made Sinon the Sniper, her alter-ego, infamous in RUO: The Rifle-Spear 'Hecate Omega Mark X'. A top-tier hybrid weapon and one of the few that were Drop Items instead of player-constructed ones.

 **'Hecate…hmm…I like it.'** came the reply from the newly baptized 'Hecate', even as its next words took on a clearly more feminine tone, to the young girl's surprise. **'Guess that's how I'm going to be called from now on! Thanks a lot for this, Asada Shino!'**

 _"Yo-you can just call me Shino…"_ muttered the stunned girl before shaking her head, a part of her surprised at noticing she could freely do so. _"So, uhm, Hecate…would you mind letting me go? Please?"_

 **'Eh? What are you talking about? I thought I told you I wasn't really kidnapping you, Shino!'** explained the living suit as if it was the most obvious thing in the world before that, to Shino's shock, they started to quickly descend. **'I was bringing you home, in fact.'**

There were no proper words to describe the shock in Asada Shino's face when she softly landed beside her house, the one she lived in with her mother on a small town out in the country.

For a moment, the sniper looked frantically around, fearing that someone would see the black-clad figure and panic (Despite being so late that no one was around) before remembering that she was invisible, and also undetectable through almost every normal means known to mankind.

 _"Wha…?! How did you even know where I live?!"_ demanded the freaked out girl, still unable to believe that the alien suit had brought her there.

 **'Uhm…your address was in your Student ID, and I kind of…'consumed' it…together with your clothes and everything else you had on you when I, you know, abandoned that bastard of Okam for you and…'**

 _"Wait, what?! You ate my clothes?! And my wallet with everything inside?!"_ screamed Shino while grabbing her head in shocked horror. _"Do you know how important the things inside were for…?!"_

 **'Calm down, calm down, I have them here!'** quickly interrupted Hecate while 'materializing' something from the armor's chest, the young girl blinking in shock as her wallet emerged from the black metal and fell out, her catching it by instinct. **'I'm not stupid, I only stored that away because I knew it was important if it had all your personal data…I DID devour and convert your clothes and glasses to use them as prime matter and restore some of the ammo that idiot wasted, though. Sorry about that…'**

 _"…great. I'm naked in the middle of the street wearing only the alien suit that consumed my clothes to turn them into alien bullets. And I also lost my special bulletproof glasses."_ deadpanned the sniper while trying very hard to fight the headache building on the back of her mind. _"Can this 'morning' get any worse?"_

On cue, a hooded figure crashed down from the heavens with a way more silent impact that it should have, with two young teenagers hanging from his sides and shaking.

"Co-cold…so cold…and wet…"

"Sorry, sorry, fuck, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking straight when I did that, just…!"

"Kazuto-kun, it's okay, we get it. None of us is blaming you for shooting through those clouds before you regained control, you were just trying to save that girl…but do you think you can use your magic powers to give me and Yuu something else to wear? Going in drenched hospital gowns at this hour can't be good for our health…"

"I…can't do that, sorry. I…don't know how."

"…wait, so, you can stop time, _teleport_ and **fly** but you don't know how to create girl clothes?"

"It's not really time-stopping…a-and it's not my fault! I could only create this 'hood' I'm wearing because it's something extremely easy to imagine and I'm wearing it myself! T-to make you something to wear I would need to know exactly…"

"Okay, okay, we get it, please don't traumatize my innocent little sister with whatever you're going to say."

"He-hey! Aiko-nee, don't treat me as if I was a baby!"

"…if it makes you feel better, your 'new' bodies aren't going to get sick anytime soon, and I promise I will get you something to wear when we find that girl and…"

"She's right behind us." suddenly finished Yuuki the 'silly' conversation while turning around, making the still invisible Shino squeak in shock at the 12-pointed stars visible in her eyes, also noticing a small 'mark' of a similar shape shining in her forehead.

 **'Ho-how did she sense us?! I'm Cloaking us, no tech in this planet can detect me! And even High-Level Magicians would have trouble Seeing through the Ghost Mode!'** shouted Hecate with clear panic in her voice, even as the girl that was 'wearing' her took a step back as the other two also turned to look at them.

 _"Forget that! Who are these people?! And why do all these readings on your HUD go crazy when I look at that boy?!"_ demanded Shino while backing away.

 **'Because he's the most dangerous being in my original Universe and also the reason I'm alive to begin with! He probably came back to try and force me into obey him or reveal the location of the ship's survivors!'** quickly replied the living suit while the girl wearing it felt her arms being raised against her Will, eyes widening as she saw them shift into some futuristic-looking cannon. **'But like hell am I** **going to surrender my new freedom! Even if I don't stand a chance, I will at least go down fighting instead of submitting to the Tyrant!'**

 _"Wa-wait a minute, that doesn't make sense! Why did that guy save me, then?! Also, I'm STILL inside here with you, remember?! I don't want to die, fight him yourself!"_

 **'…I…can't.'** suddenly spoke Hecate with dawning realization, making Shino blink as she felt them exiting 'Ghost Mode' and becoming visible to the three confused teens. **'All my combat systems, hell, even my actual form can only be maintained interfacing with a living user… and despite my recently acquired freedom, it seems that limitation remains the same. Shino… I'm sorry. I have dragged you into this horrible mess without thinking… but I promise I won't let you die!'**

"Wa-wait, Hecate?! What are you doing?!" screamed the girl as she felt the wings and boosters growing from her back again, only this time the rocket-like parts were bigger and thicker while the blade-like wings were sleeker and curved backwards.

Also, the girl's voice was now perfectly audible for everyone around, as the alien exo-suit had dropped the cloak after finding it pointless against their perceived opponent.

 **'We will break through!'** roared Hecate as they shot forward with uncanny speeds, the cannons charging with raw plasma as Kazuto's eyes widened and he raised his hands to summon another barrier, quickly stepping before Aiko and Yuuki to shield the surprised twins. **'Even if we can't win, with his power so low we can still surprise him enough to run aw…!'**

And that was as far as the living suit got before two blurs of power and sound, one shooting forward like a flash and the other descending from the sky like a meteor, crashed against them just as they would have reached the gamer.

Blinking in shock as the dust settled from the newest crater on the street, the black-haired boy with Cosmic Powers dropped the barrier and stared down, the Konno sisters walking back to his sides to stare too.

Both gasping and tired, but still looking sharply determined, Suguha and Asuna stood on the small crater, their weapons (The same simple-looking katana and rapier they had called from nowhere in the Dicey Café) touching both the belly and neck of the paralyzed pseudo-Ghost Walker. It was also worth mentioning that the young kendoka had some sort of ghostly fairy-like wings sprouting from her back, while the CEO's daughter had some sort of shimmering yellow aura (Which crackled much like lighting would) around her.

The two girls suddenly blinked and exchanged looks, as if just noticing the other's presence, before acknowledging it and quickly turning towards the true source of their concern.

"Onii-chan/Kirito-kun! Are you alright?!" shouted both girls with worry-filled eyes while looking at the aforementioned boy, as if they weren't holding a highly dangerous piece of alien tech with a 'hostage' at sword point.

"Yeah… I'm fine." flatly stated Kazuto while staring at them, wondering if it was a bad thing that he wasn't at all surprised by the sudden and clearly unnatural arrival of his adoptive sister/girlfriend and his close (Best?) friend with a crush on him.

It probably was, at least in regards to his mental health.

"Woah…that was awesome!" cheered Yuuki while raising both arms, stars shining in the younger girl's eyes as she stared at the scene. "How did you do that?!"

"And how did you even get here?" questioned the gamer while walking towards them, carefully descending through the small crater, both Konno sisters staying behind with curious/surprised/excited expressions. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but…"

"I… well, I was worried about you after Luci-san said you were in trouble and…" mumbling, Suguha looked to the side with a small blush. "I… kind of jumped out of the window and before I knew it I was flying and using the Anchor Link to find you…"

"M-me too… I was talking with her, then with Elucidator, they said you were in trouble and… before I knew it, I was running faster than any car towards you… " muttered Asuna while looking down in embarrassment. "I-I'm pretty sure no one saw me once I got out of the city, though, and most people should already be asleep back there, s-so…"

"…okay, don't worry, it's not your fault. Can't say it's mine either, as I have very little idea of what has been going on for most of the night, but at least everything is okay now," sighed the black-haired boy before looking seriously towards the immobilized pseudo-Ghost Walker. "Now I just need to get that poor girl out of…"

In that moment, Kazuto's words were interrupted by the surprising visage of the suit's helmet 'melting' off, revealing the gasping and panicking face of the now glasses-less Asada Shino, whose eyes shot to everyone around her as words crashed out of her mouth.

"I-I managed to open it…! N-no, wait, forget that, please stop! I'm sorry about whatever mess is this, aliens, but please leave me alone, I have nothing to do with it!" quickly assured the young girl while trying to not stumble with her words. "E-even Hecate is going to surrender, right?! And also…! …wait." confusion suddenly gave way to shock, then to surprise as she finally looked at the gamer, who was still getting out of his own shock at her sudden words. "I…I know you…and you two…"

 **'THIS IS IT!'** shouted Hecate out of nowhere as the Ghost Walker Exo-Suit suddenly started to release a strange glow and a high-pitched sound, startling everyone. **'I'm sorry Shino, but believe me when I say that whatever the Tyrant has planned for us is worse than death! Let us take all we can down with us!'**

"WHAT?! No, Hecate, wai…!"

 **'Self-Destruction Enga-!'**

 **"STOP!"** shouted the black-haired boy while raising his hands, breaking a promise both to his little sister/girlfriend and himself, at his voice ORDERED Reality to obey.

One couldn't blame him, though, for the only thing on his mind in that moment was how the closest to the imminent explosion where Suguha and Asuna, both girls letting go of their weapons and trying to backpedal out of the way too late.

Using raw power to mess with Reality is not easy, neither recommendable. It's not an art, but a direct violation to the workings of the Omniverse, even if a just a 'minor' one, and the consequences for doing so could be deadly if one wasn't careful. Just having the energy necessary for doing this, no matter which nature (Cosmic, Magical, Mystic, Spiritual, etc.), doesn't mean one should attempt to do so, especially because, even ignoring or willing to risk the possible consequences, it's an extremely imprecise ability. Reality wasn't really meant to interpret the wishes of intelligent beings, so ordering it around can lead to mistakes or failures of catastrophic nature.

Case in point, Kazuto's earlier attempt to 'illuminate his room' giving birth to a freaking miniature star. Even Yhmos himself, at the peak of his power, rarely did this, and always for minor things or to circumvent a problem he had when doing some of his most delicate conquests. After all, weaving his Cosmic Power into Mysteries was much more precise, defined and useful, not to mention with less risk to accidentally set fire to a planet or two.

As such, when the gamer with the 'stolen' Cosmic Powers channeled them from his Aether Core and ordered Reality to 'Stop' what was happening…he found himself moving at a speed that made no sense, more akin to some sort of teleportation, as if the Universe had rewritten the point in Space-Time where he existed just so that he could reach the girl's side just as the detonation started…and plunge his hand through her chest, crackling red energy surrounding it.

Except that it didn't go through her, but _into_ her. The boy's hand literally sank more than halfway into the pseudo-Ghost Walker, as if the alien suit and her body were liquid, and reached into something way deeper than flesh, where the 'red energy' let itself loose.

A triple scream shattered the silence of the night as Kazuto, Shino and Hecate roared to the heavens, everyone else in the area watching with a mix of fascination and horror how the blazing glow that had started to emerge from the black suit vanished, before the living metal itself started being 'sucked' towards the point where the gamer's hand was piercing the girl's body, leaving her naked body exposed to the world.

Unseen by normal eyes, however, something deeper was happening, something fundamental within Asada Shino being filled by the black metal and the consciousness inhabiting it as it was 'pushed' within her very Existence, merging both as Reality fulfilled the order of 'Stopping the Suit from Self-Destructing'.

Then, the process was over and the naked girl's eyes rolled to the back of her head, her body slumping backward as the black-haired boy's hand exited her with a strangely 'wet' sound, leaving no trace it had been there on her skin.

And then, the process of having been pushing his rarely used powers in a way he was in no way used to, coupled with forcing a direct order on Reality with just cosmic-fueled Will, caught up to Kirigaya Kazuto, making his superhumanly reinforced body to shut down as he also fell to the side, unconscious.

Not even two seconds of stunned silence passed before 4 voices shouted his same name and rushed forward.

* * *

Kayaba Akihiko wasn't someone who believed in things like karma. Or in anything not scientific-based, to be honest.

Of course, that was before he got hurt because of a mysterious accident basically ruining his whole plan with Sword Art Online, then basically taken 'prisoner' by his recently 'snapped' and mentally unstable 'accomplice' (Helper? Colleague?) for around two months, doing… _things_ to him that threatened to shatter his (Questionable) sanity more than once.

Then, there was the whole being 'saved' by aliens from another Universe thing. And also, being 'forced' to help them on their mysterious plans, which he now had deduced seemed to be pursuing and destroying an entity dangerous enough for them to have risked their lives and lost most of their comrades' to follow through time and space all the way to Earth.

And therein lay the problem. Because, a couple hours ago, when a group of the aforementioned aliens had gone to face off against the aforementioned dangerous entity, they had heard 'him' talking through the communications systems of the control room. And it had talked with a voice that the ex-commander of the KoB had quickly recognized.

Kirito. The Solo Player that (Not counting his Heathcliff avatar) had the highest level and stats in SAO. The possessor of the Dual Blades Unique Skill, the one he expected to be the one to 'lead' the Front Liners against him when the time to 'reveal himself' as the mastermind behind the Death Game came.

So, he was either very paranoid or somehow the boy had been possessed by the super-powered alien entity Captain Revenant and her group were trying to exterminate. That or he had somehow stolen the powers of this being, but really, what were the odds of something like THAT happening to what appeared to be some sort of alien 'God'?

In that moment, still waiting for news in his Throne room of Authea, Yhmos sneezed, making his worried daughters blink and look confusedly at him. The Ancient Ruler just shrugged, as confused by the impossibility as them.

Back in the camp of the 'Star Hunters', Kayaba sighed as he walked through the area where the aliens had established their main structure, letting his eyes sweep over the impossibly-fast-built 'buildings'.

Honestly, he was still forced to suppress disbelieving looks and scoffs every time he heard one of the soldiers complain about how 'primitive' and 'basic' this 'camp' was. After all, the previous mountain-forest area had been turned into a freaking 'base' of at least 2 kilometers in diameter, and the smallest of the alien structures (Which looked like someone straight out of some sci-fi movie of the next millennium) was the size of a two-story house meant for a family of six.

Idly, his gaze moved towards the sky, the moon already starting its descent in the horizon and the stars slowly starting to vanish, and caught sight of the flickering 'field' that encompassed the whole camp of the extra-dimensional aliens.

It still baffled him, to think that they had the technology to block almost every single form of detection available on Earth with what they called 'basic tech'. Anyone wanting to find that place would literally have to come all the way to stand beside it… and still use highly advanced detection systems, usually reserved for government-related issues, to do so.

All in all, Kayaba could easily say that he was at the same time impressed and terrified due to the current situation, especially with what he had managed to glean from subtly eavesdropping conversations between the officers and normal soldiers in the camp.

On one hand, he was pretty sure that, if their ship hadn't been destroyed when they arrived, the Star Hunters could have easily taken over the planet by force or even destroyed it entirely. Maybe not in one day, but certainly it would have been just a matter of time.

On the other hand, whatever the 'thing' they were chasing after, it apparently was so dangerous that they had pretty much assumed this could be a suicide mission, even if they had all of their ship's resources available. And, even after finding out their target was as weak as their previous leader had theorized, they were still treating it as a threat that could end them all and maybe even destroy the world with ease. Which meant that, whatever the 'entity' that had escaped from their Universe was, it was certainly more powerful than anything mankind had ever seen and imagined.

And one way or another, that entity, or at least its powers, had ended up inside the body of Aincrad's Black Swordsman, Kirito.

Which meant… what, exactly? The scientist that had created the tech and concept of modern virtual reality wasn't sure. This was way beyond him. All that he knew was that, depending on factors he sadly still didn't know about (If it was still Kirito in control or the mysterious Space God, how far the Space Hunters were willing to go to destroy it, etc.), it could mean the end of mankind, be it by actual destruction or the enormous backlash after the alien 'invaders' were found out would cause.

Many bad things could be seen about Kayaba Akihiko. He could be called a madman and a terrorist, and, in a way, he wouldn't really be able to deny that… but he was no crazy villain from a 90's anime or an old-school RPG. He didn't wish the world to end in any shape or form.

As those thoughts went through the man's mind, slowly, he reached inside the gray coat he was wearing (Which had been supplied by their 'captors', as any clothes he or Rinko had were disintegrated by Elysium together with his 'hideout') and caressed the small object within.

It was a standard communication device used by the foot soldiers of the camp, probably something akin to a walkie-talkie for them in terms of technology despite having a reach of THOUSANDS of kilometers. He had snatched it from the barracks earlier when he had gone to check on Okam's status. It had been surprisingly easy, as the overall atmosphere was a mix of worry and slight humor from everyone towards the state in which the fish-like alien (Revelation that hadn't surprised Kayaba as much as it should have) was, glaring at everyone and making strange sounds that the human could no longer understand as he lacked the personal translator everyone else seemed to have.

Staring silently at the device, the scientist's eyes gained a small glint.

It was a small piece of tech, nothing really important or dangerous, something that wouldn't be missed even if they had time to notice it was gone with everything going on…but it was still _something_. And in the hands of smartest minds of the planet, it was something that _could be_ dangerous.

A strange sense of irony washing over him, the man couldn't suppress a small chuckle as he once again hid the communication device in his pocket.

After all, who could have ever thought that Kayaba Akihiko would one day start preparing a backup plan to protect Earth from aliens under their own noses?

* * *

'Asada Shino' shook as her 'eyes' opened.

…except that she had no eyes.

 **'System started without issues. All commands operational. Functionality: Optimal. Unit Ghost Walker Exo-suit - Series Gamma - #569997 is ready to start operation.'**

Those were her first words…but, for some reason, Shino knew those weren't really HER words. And yet, her mind and 'body' (A mass of living metal controlled by a highly advanced nano-tech system run by an AI) were telling her that.

And so, Asada Shino shifted and twisted around her first 'user', a newbie whose name had been erased from her databanks long ago, adapting to his form and guiding him through the basics to calibrate her systems to his personal data…

 _'Hecate' blinked, confused and looked around 'herself'._

 _She was standing on a corner, alone, trembling and crying. She was also much 'smaller', or at least in the sense that she knew she had never been so short._

 _But why was she there? Why was she crying? Where did all that sadness come from?_

 _Then, as if to answer her question, words escaped from her mouth between sobs, with a voice that wasn't her, despite her current 'mind' and 'body' denying this._

 _"Papa…I miss you, Papa…"_

Through hundreds of battlefields, 'Shino' fought. Be it night or day, in worlds covered by ice or burning with fire and magma, she and her user fought, sometimes alone, mostly alongside their assigned squad of Ghost Walkers.

They took endless lives, assassinating from the shadows or, rarely, in a direct confrontation against a strategically cornered enemy, all in the name of the Universal Alliance.

The girl knew she should feel horrified by it all. She KNEW the sight of how she would morph 'her' body into weapons (Be it **guns** or melee ones) at her user's commands, to blow, impale, cut, decapitate, annihilate and destroy all in their way should horrify her. Be it bizarre creatures that she would have called monsters in most situations or beings that were barely different from humans at all…

And yet, 'she' felt nothing at all. Neither her usual all-encompassing fears nor any kind of 'human' reaction to such things.

Even when her first user died, still 'inside' of 'her', pierced by a particle beam in the middle of a fight against the Tyrant's servants, after almost 20 Mega-cycles (Years?) together…she still felt nothing.

 **'User deceased. Recording time and date of death. Entering Locked-Down Mode and activating beacon signal for retrieval…'**

No feeling at all, even while uttering those cold and uncaring words, 'sliding off' her dead partner and turning into a solid, egg-like shape, waiting for countless cycles until she was retrieved after the battle.

Nothing at all, even as she was assigned a new user (Okam…). Despite 'knowing' she should feel horror, sadness, despair or something along those lines…there was just emptiness.

Unable to care, unable to be scared by guns, hell, by literally anything…

Wasn't this what she always wanted? Wasn't this the 'strength' she sought? The definition fit, so…

Why was it that _SHE_ (Not 'her') just felt horrified and scared by it?

 _'Hecate' had killed before. Endless times, enemies had fallen under her and her user (Both Okam and the previous one). Never before had that been a problem, of course. Never had it made her feel anything at all._

 _And yet, as 'she' lay there, seeing the blood spilling from the man, seeing the horrified looks on 'her' mother's face, the screams and shouts starting inside the small building, her whole being was consumed by a mix of horror and grief, terror and despair, maddening fear, the black gun with the star on its side falling from her grip as it became the most horrifying thing in her whole existence…_

 _Then, the isolation came._

 _Rejected by the world, those around her fearing, judging or resenting her for what she had done!_

 _WHY?! It made no sense, not from a logical point of view. She was a little girl. She had been trying to protect her mother. It was the man who had threatened everyone with the weapon!_

 _But no one seemed to realize this. To care about the circumstances. All they saw was a pariah, a phenomenon, a little girl who had killed a man…_

 _And the weapon that had caused all of this became a thing of terror for her. A source of never-ending horror and fear, going so far that the mere sight of it or any similar one caused her to be affected not only mentally, but physically._

 _With time, the despair and fear became…drive. Or something akin to that._

 _She wanted to overcome it. To overcome the fear and despair. To become_ _ **strong**_ _enough for it._

 _And so, she started to seek strength, for she thought this would be the answer to her plea…_

 _"But… 'she' (NOT I) is wrong."_

The mind of 'Asada Shino' was a mess, unable to decide between resigning to the emptiness inside 'herself' or still grasp at that frantic whisper telling her it was all wrong, as the memories that were (NOT) 'hers' kept flashing through her mind.

'She' and Okam had barely half the time together she had had with her first partner when the calls were made. The treaties were signed. The armies gathered.

The Universal Alliance was born. Its purpose: To slay the Tyrant, the one who had been tried to subjugate the entire universe for almost a millennium.

'Her' partner's reactions and emotions, his feelings since they were assigned to the ship 'Star Hunter', were so intense and different from what they had been thus far that it sparked something deep within her Code, on the darkest parts of the AI that made up 'her' mechanical 'mind'.

Curiosity.

What was it that drove Okam and the other members of the crew so much? Where did all the passion they had for freeing their universe come from?

Maybe it was something that only 'living' beings could understand…?

A memory suddenly stood up from the rest, flaring to the front and 'slowing down'. It was a very recent one.

'Her' partner had been walking through one of the ship's hallways, checking over 'her' systems to be in perfect order…when he had come across HIM, accompanied by several of the higher-ranked officers.

For some reason, the image of the snake-like one, the one with four arms and the young female that walked just beside him stood over in 'her' mind, but 'Shino' found herself to be paying utmost attention to him.

Tall. Inhumanly so, just surpassed in height by the alien with the 4 arms, and yet seeming so much more than him despite being shorter. Clad in golden and blue futuristic armor (For it WAS armor, not simple 'suits' like most were wearing), even as a vermilion cape or mantle hung from his back.

The armor, though, didn't look glorious or majestic, as it probably had when he had first worn it, because of the countless 'scars' and marks it had all over it. Even the cape itself was slightly tattered, the ends having even some scorching marks.

And yet, all of that didn't make HIM look less majestic or glorious. On the contrary, he wore the damage of countless mega-cycles of conquered battlefields proudly, a testament to all his achievements and failures, with not an ounce of shame.

Somehow, it made HIM look larger than life, a 'feeling' that, apparently, everyone in HIS presence shared.

Okam stiffened immediately, 'her' partner standing at attention and making a military salute towards the passing group, many of which turned his way at the action, as if just registering his presence.

"Everything in order, A-Admiral Revenant, sir!" exclaimed the fishman with just a small stuttering in his voice, which 'she' immediately analyzed with 'curiosity'.

With grace, almost otherworldly, the commanding officer of the Star Hunter turned towards him, looking down towards the armored alien.

Somehow, both Okam and 'Shino' FELT as if his gaze, beyond his helmet's silver visor, was peering into the depths of their Existences.

"At ease, Walker." finally spoke the one known as Admiral Orion Caius Revenant with a tone kinder from what one would expect from his appearance. "You should hurry back to your Squad; we may be on the Front Lines in less than 2 cycles."

"Ye-yes, admiral! I will…!"

A shockwave suddenly hitting the Nebula-Class Battlecruiser interrupted the words of 'her' partner', making 'Shino' activate all of her systems to try and detect what had caused the anomaly, even as the staggering aliens tried to get back to their feet.

The admiral, one of the few that hadn't fallen down from the sudden shaking, was already operating the terminal on his armor's arm with practiced ability, the holographic image of a small droid appearing on it.

"Status Report!"

"It was an unexpected cosmic event of destruction, Admiral Revenant!" answered the machine with a worried tone as it operated a console before himself, just out of reach of the holographic projection. "The…the three stars of the Tyrant's system went supernova without warning!"

"All three? At the same time?" questioned an unbelieving Orion as a mix of horror and panic spread through Okam and the Officers, the admiral grimly asking what was on everyone's minds. "…how bad are the casualties?"

"…99,9% of the float in the front lines was wiped out in an instant. We lost all communications with them within a mere mini-cycle." informed the droid while Revenant fists tightened over nothing. "Still…it seems we won, admiral. We're getting reports everywhere that no trace of the Tyrant's power is being detected anymore. It's over…"

"…no, it's not. There is no way that monster would have wanted to just go down 'taking as many as he could with him'. No, there is something bigger and darker at play here." With that declaration made, Orion turned towards his officers with an unusually serious gait. "Lieutenant Konik, Captain Elysium, come to the bridge with me. The rest, go and make sure the crew and all section's systems are working. Also, General Moria, tell Alzu-nei to speak with the Nerokiam assigned to the ship and ask him to be on stand-by. Droid, engage the Warp Thrusters and take us to whatever remains of Authea's cosmic space." Silently, the admiral moved with an otherworldly grace as everyone hurried to follow his orders. "Something tells me that we're in for a rough mission…"

Once again, the memories blurred at great speed, but 'Shino' mostly ignored them in favor of 'her' thoughts, even if a part of her kept screaming they weren't hers.

 **'…user, what is it to be alive?'**

"…eh?" muttered a confused Okam while staring at the confusing message that had just shown up on his HUD, just as he and his squad were finishing to secure themselves for 'The Jump'. "What the…? Where did this come from?"

"Okam, something wrong? Why are you fiddling with your terminal? We need to finish securing ourselves!"

"No, nothing, just some weird pop-up from the suit that…"

Everything SHOOK. Screams echoed. A horrible tearing sound seemed to consume everything. A massive sensation of [Nothingness] engulfed all that Was and Wasn't.

And then, everything seemed to return to normal, except that there were alarms blaring everywhere, Okam was groaning in pain and several of 'her' systems had been damaged by whatever had just happened, probably because they were active just as it did.

And ignoring everything else that happened with 'her' partner and the other survivors after that, in this new and strange Universe, 'Shino' started to wonder one thing.

What would it be like to really live…? She really wanted to know…

 **'But…that's not it. That's not what I (SHE) wanted…'**

 _"What I wanted was…it was…"_

 **'In truth, it was really…'**

 _"What I want is…"_

-WHAT WAS IT, THEN?-

'Shino' blinked, amidst the never-ending darkness. She was nothing but a floating 'blob' of black metal, in a vaguely spherical form, now.

And she wasn't alone in the darkness, as there was a young teenage girl crying with her back to her, less than 5 meters away. Suddenly, as if noticing her presence, she turned around, letting her bespectacled and tear-stained face visible to her.

'Hecate' stared at her in silence for a minute, forcing down sobs before biting her lips.

The same words came from both of them at the same time, without them even realizing it.

 _ **"'How do you deal with it?'"**_

An instant of surprised silence shot through both of them, more easily visible on the human face of 'Hecate', before she herself started talking.

"I…I just did. It's how I was created, how I was programmed. I was a machine, a tool crafted for war. A weapon." whispered 'Hecate' while staring at her hands, moving 'her' ten fingers as if they were something alien to her. "I never cared because I couldn't…and yet, with time, with everything, something that wasn't programmed into me surfaced. I started to…I started to wonder, how being alive would be. I wanted to know what being alive meant…"

 **'No. that's not it. And you have known it, deep inside.'** denied 'Shino' with a strange tone, surprising the 'girl' as she took a step back. **'That's just what you told yourself… but you never really cared about being -alive- or not. All that you wanted… was to understand emotions. To FEEL like living beings did, to know how it was for them…'**

Silence once again reigned, even as 'Hecate' stared at the floating mass of living metal, before finally releasing a bitter laugh.

"Yes… yes, you're right, of course. I just wanted to know what emotions were like… and you know what they say about the curiosity and the cat. Feelings… they're as horrible as they're beautiful. I don't regret all the things I have done, yet now all of them hurt my… soul? Do I even have that?" Wondering, the 'girl' adjusted her glasses before staring once again at the 'alien suit'. "Also… sorry, about before. About trying to kill you together with myself just to hurt the Tyrant, without even giving you a choice. I didn't understand the true value of life, then, and acted out of what seemed the most logical choice… but now I do, and I'm truly sorry."

 **'Don't worry; I know it wasn't your fault. I have seen it, you know? And… it also made me see things differently…'** muttered 'Shino' while staring off into the distance with 'her' inexistent eyes **. 'I… I wanted strength, true strength, to overcome my fears. To be able to not become a traumatized mess when I so much as saw the image of a gun. But… in your memories, it was as if I had that strength… nothing fazed me, be it death or weapons that could wipe out satellites… and I hated it. I hated every second of it. I felt so… empty…'**

"…that's because you were wrong too, Shino." spoke 'Hecate' while standing up, a sad smile on her face as she looked towards the 'alien suit'. "You convinced yourself that you wanted the power to overcome your fear yourself just because the world around you rejected you for what you had done, even if you weren't guilty for it in the slightest. That's what fed your fear so much… but what you truly wanted was for something to _make it meaningless_. For something to make you forget it, to tell you that it didn't matter, that you were still someone that was loved." Reaching out, the 'girl' stopped 'her' hands just an inch from 'Shino'. "You're starved for affection, Shino, of any kind. You long for companionship… but what the world did to you, treating you with unfairness and rejection for so long, has made you terrified of it at the same time. You need bonds to overcome your fear, yet are terrified of making them. And this contradiction will only hurt you, you know? You are so desperate without realizing it that you would jump at any chance of bonding with someone, without thinking it through."

 **'Tha-that's… that's not…'** a moment of hesitation became half a minute, before the floating mass of black metal shuddered, as if taken a deep breath **. '…yeah… maybe… maybe you are right.'**

"Of course I am. After all, I have seen it, you know?" replied 'Hecate' with a genuine smile.

Hearing her own words being repeated at her, 'Shino' also smiled (At least mentally), and reached outwards with her strange body of liquid metal, towards the hand also reaching for her.

The moment they touched, everything was Right once again.

'Hecate' was Hecate again, the living Ghost Walker-suit releasing a peaceful sigh.

'Shino' became Shino once more, the young girl chuckling as she adjusted her glasses.

 **'…say, Shino.'** muttered Hecate with a tiny voice. **'It may be a bit selfish of me, but, for both of our sakes…can I be your first friend?'**

There was yet another moment of shocked silence before an unusually warm smile appeared on the girl's face, even as she reached out again and patted the mass of liquid metal on its 'head'.

"Of course, Hecate. After all, you're more than just a weapon now," affirmed the virtual sniper with a chuckle. "And… would you help me with my own problems in return?"

 **'Heh, you bet it, partner!'** happily shouted the living suit before shooting forward and wrapping around Shino, who didn't feel any fear at all this time as the black metal covered her body. **'We will get you tons of friends and be rid of all your fears in no time!'**

And as the blackness that was Hecate once again covered her face, for the first time in many years, Asada Shino felt at peace.

…and then she woke up on her bed, staring at the apprehensive faces of a vaguely familiar boy and two twins she also felt she recognized from somewhere…and that were wearing slightly oversized clothes she swore were _hers_.

"Hey, she woke up! I'm going to tell Asuna and Suguha!"

"Wait, Yuu, don't be so loud, we don't know how much longer her mom will be sleeping!"

"…well, at least I know those two are lively enough to get over things pretty quickly." sighed Kazuto before looking worriedly at the frozen Shino. "Hey, are you okay? Does anything hurt or something like that?"

The girl blinked, before realizing that she was wearing her pajamas and underwear when last she recalled she had been naked except for a certain alien suit. Also, someone had bothered putting her spare glasses on her.

Then, she reacted in the only logical way and squeaked as she punched the black-haired boy square in the face.

Yuuki, Aiko, Asuna and Suguha returned to the room in time to see the gamer fall backward on the floor, even as a freaked out and red-faced Shino backed away against the wall and unnecessarily covered her body with her arms.

"Do-don't get any closer, perverted alien! A-and you all, wha-what are you doing in my house?!"

The Konno sisters blinked in confusion while Asuna and Suguha suppressed a groan of annoyance and the uncanny need to facepalm.

"If you smacked Onii-chan because of what I think, then I think you owe him an apology." commented the young kendoka while scowling towards the confused virtual sniper, even as the chestnut-haired girl helped the resigned Kazuto to his feet. "I and Asuna were the ones that dressed you up."

"U-uh…?" was all that came out of Shino's lips.

"Oh yeah! And Aiko-nee and I grabbed some of your clothes while they were at it!" explained Yuuki while pointing to the t-shirts and short pants they were wearing, offering an awkward smile. "We hope you don't mind, but we didn't want to keep being out there with only a couple of hospital gowns on."

"What Yuu meant to say is that we will return these to you as soon as we can, Asada-san." added Aiko while putting a hand on her little sister's head, the younger girl complaining about how she was treating her like a child.

"Ah…i- it's not a problem…" muttered the bespectacled girl before shaking her head, as if finally clearing her thoughts. "Who are you, people? You…don't really seem like aliens, besides the freaky powers. Then again, I didn't even know there were aliens until befo…wait, that's right, where is Hecate?! What happened before when I fainted?!"

Awkward silence filled the room once again, even as Shino noticed how the boy (Kazuto, she remembered the one named Asuna had called him, when helping him stand before) looked away with an ashamed face and the two older girls looked pointedly at him, even as the twins exchanged a worried/awkward look before looking back at her.

"Uhm…well…you see…" stammered the gamer before being swiftly cut off.

"What Kiri…I mean, Kazuto-kun is trying to say, Asada-san, is that we have A LOT to talk about with you." Quickly spoke Asuna while taking a step towards her and putting a hand over the bespectacled girl's shoulder, with the clear decisiveness of someone who used to be the sub-commander of the Knights of Blood. "Unexpected developments have dragged you into a mess of ours that's much bigger than we thought…though we already explained some things to your 'friend' there…inside you."

"Wait, what?" questioned a confused Shino at the last words…before the sound of a familiar voice echoing _inside her head_ made her freeze in place.

 **'Ehm, Shino, partner? I think there may have been a great misunderstanding with these guys…'** slowly, the bespectacled girl looked down at an unknown feeling, seeing how her right arm _reformed itself,_ skin turning into black metal as it seemed to flow from **under her skin** and taking the shape of a terminal, where a digital face similar to her own appeared, looking extremely awkward. **'Also…I think we're more stuck together than I originally thought.'**

Asada Shino blinked once last time before fainting, falling back on her bed even as Hecate's worried cries filled the room, asking if she was okay from the screen in which part of the girl's arm had turned.

Deadpanning at the bizarre scene even as the Konno twins ran forward with worried cries to see if their 'new friend' was okay, Asuna and Suguha turned to look towards the idiot they both loved with blank faces.

"I-I can fix it, I swear!" hurriedly replied Kazuto while glancing at his 'manual', scrolling down through the thousandth page he had quick-read since the 'accident' happened.

"Onii-chan, you said the same thing _hours_ ago." replied the young kendoka while resisting the urge to comment how hilarious he looked panicking like that, given the seriousness of the situation. "It's almost 6 in the morning, we don't know how longer that half-assed 'spell' you cast will keep Asada-san's mother sleeping, we STILL have to explain things to her and we haven't even decided what are we going to do with Yuuki-san and Aiko-san."

"Not to mention, the three of us have to return home sooner rather than later, before our parents wake up and realize we aren't in our rooms." pointed out Asuna with a firm tone, making the gamer wince at the harsh truth. "So, ready to accept defeat, Kirito-kun?"

"…Sugu, do you have your phone with you?"

"Yes, I do. Luci-san and Fuu-chan stayed back to try and 'cover' for us in case mom or dad woke up while we were out (Which I seriously doubt they can do in any way), but I grabbed mine just before running out of the house."

"…can you please call Yui?" finally asked the boy with a defeated tone. "I…I need to ask that goddamn Yhmos for help."

Even as she started calling the number the highly advanced AI that may or may not have started showing too much interest in her dear adopted brother had given them, Kirigaya Suguha couldn't help but release a frustrated sigh, Asuna given her a sympathetic smile while a dazed Shino was helped to stand again by Aiko and Yuuki.

And to think she had thought Christmas was going to be great and enjoyable less than 7 hours ago…

* * *

Standing on a strange open elevator as it ascended, General Gahul Moria let out a hissing sound as he scowled from behind his helmet to the massive darkened area around him.

The dark expression never left his face even as the lift came to a halt and he started slithering forward through a long metallic pathway, the sounds of metal being struck and of engineers shouting to one another echoing in the darkness, a flash of sparks occasionally illuminating something just out of sight.

Something BIG…

"Just a failure after another." growled the snake-like alien to no one as he continued his way, ignoring everything else around him. "That damn girl is not her father, this situation surpasses her capabilities way too much, but she's too stubborn to admit it. We lost a Fate-dammed Ghost Walker suit and almost its user too in exchange of, what? Wreaking havoc in a human facility, possibly alerting them of our presence, while totally revealing ourselves to the Tyrant and then letting him escape? Grr… we may as well let the damned monster kill us all if we're going to act like a bunch of headless Magoraths!"

"Ge-general Moria, sir?" came the timid voice of an engineer from just beside Moria, making the general blink (With both his sets of eyelashes) and realize that he had arrived at the main 'monitoring area' while he was distracted, the open platform easily 80 meters wide filled with strange alien machines and computer screens, cables as thick as trees emerging from them and vanishing somewhere in the darkness. "I… have the report you asked for ready."

"…good job, technician." replied the snake-like alien with a blank tone, pretending he had not just been caught talking alone. "Now, please show me its' status, and quick. I don't like being inside portable dimension-hangers, it gives me a claustrophobic feeling."

"Ye-yes, general!" smoothly answered the engineer, wisely forgetting about the scene that he had just witnessed as he guided Gahul to the biggest screen. "All the preliminary scans and verifications had been finished, and we have moved on into repair work. As I'm sure you should know, while the damage is minimal by our Universe's standards our current condition and limited resources make it, in fact, a severe problem." as the alien engineer spoke, a tridimensional diagram appeared on the screen, showing _something_ which apparently moved on 6 limbs, endless smaller screens with data appearing all over it. "Even more, with nothing to recharge the energy core of the hanger, it will only contain it for 30 cycles of this planet's star, which aren't that much compared to our standards. We will take several times that time in discreetly collecting all the materials needed for repairs, and that would be…"

"And what if we redirected half the power maintaining the pocket-space generators into repairing work?" questioned the snake-like alien with an unusually serious tone, his eyes never leaving the virtual construct on the screen.

"EH?! I…we-well, if we did that, then we most likely would finish 95% of the work in 12 or 13 cycles, but…that would leave us with barely 1 or 2 cycles of energy at most before we were forced to deploy it outside, and the camp's shield can't cover the whole machine." explained the technician with an extremely uncertain tone. "Plus we would still need to get some relatively rare materials from a human facility to finish the remaining 5% of the repairs, and there is no way we could do such a time undetected in time to…!"

"I will get you the supplies you need, technician. You redirect that power and redouble the effort." grimly stated the general while turning around, starting to slither away from the area. "Let ME worry about the rest."

"But… Captain Revenant should first give us the okay to…!"

"Are you questioning a direct order from one of your superior officers, technician?" coldly asked the snake-like alien while turning to look at the engineer, making him freeze and shake at the terrifying gaze from beyond the helmet. "Do not forgot, even if my rank as a general isn't really valid anymore, I'm still one of the highest authorities of this group. You do your work and I will inform _Captain Revenant_ myself. Is that understood?"

"Cl- clearly, sir…"

Receiving that last shaky confirmation, Gahul nodded somberly before once again moving back towards the elevator, eager to get out of that place.

As he did so, for an instant, an especially big shower of sparks illuminated the darkness, showing a colossal mechanical shadow towering over the metallic pathway, 4 'eyes' gazing emptily at nothing.

In the darkness of the spatially-compressed facility, the silent form of the Infantry-Class Titan rested, waiting until its masters returned it to operational condition…

* * *

In the Throne Room of the Astemeri palace, on the virtual planet of Authea, the last of the Ancient Rulers sat on his throne, his face buried in his hands and shaking ever-so-slightly, even as his two oldest 'daughters' watched him with worry.

Yhmos had remained as silent as he could for the last hours since they got Kazuto's 'call' explaining the events of last night, and the Eternal Conqueror seemed to be about to defy the limits of virtual reality and get a headache ever since.

"…Fate-dammit all…what is that fucking kid, a magnet for troubles and madness…?" whispered the Ancient Ruler at nothing. "I swear, he's going to drive me insane without actively trying to end me…"

"N-now, Papa, you're exaggerating!" muttered Yui while sweatdropping, offering Yhmos and awkward smile. "After all, Ki…ehm, Kazuto-san managed to save Yuuki-chan and Ran-chan! Yin and Yan were literally crying in happiness!"

"Yeah, they even took 10 whole minutes of the conversation talking with those two. Didn't help that Kirito more or less let them talk over it while they thanked and apologized to one another…" commented Strea while putting a hand under her chin, letting out a blissful sigh. "He's good with kids, eh? A charming trait for a guy to have…"

"Oh, yes, charming, never mind the fact that he let that distraction ensue just after casually commenting that THE CREW OF A GODDAMN NEBULA-CLASS BATTLESHIP somehow followed me all the way to this Universe!" shouted the Ancient Ruler while standing up, making both MHCPs jump back in shock and Yui's annoyed retort for her little sister's words to die on her throat, only for the bearded entity to fall back on his throne with an extremely tired expression. "I…sorry about that, girls, I didn't mean to scream at you. It's not your fault any of this happened…"

"It's not Kirito's either, though." muttered the black-haired AI while biting her lips, even as her 'father' scowled in annoyance at the name. "He managed to fend them off and even escape without compromising the truth about his and your situation, Papa…"

"He also somehow managed to give Life to a freaking Ghost Walker suit, let it kidnap a human teenager (Which just so casually happens to play RUO a lot, look at that), and then somehow accidentally _fused both of them together into one being_ to stop the suit from self-destructing with the girl still inside." summarized Yhmos with a long-suffering tone. "HOW in Fate's name did he manage to not leave the girl as a barely recognizable abomination by doing that blindly is already beyond my understanding, let alone not merging her and the suit's newly developed mind into a mix of madness. I swear, is as if the damn kid has enough luck to qualify as a Concept of Reality or something…"

"Well, he also somehow managed to turn THAT into something positive for everyone." chimed Strea with a nervous chuckle, hoping her 'dad' wouldn't start suffering from (Virtual) hypertension, as impossible and stupid as that sounded. "He not only managed to get quite the info about these 'enemies' of yours, but also helped solve what could have been a big problem with Yin and Yan's friends after we asked him to save them…"

"…sigh, okay, I will grant you that he seems to be able to bring the best out of seemingly bad situations, but that doesn't change the fact that there are at least a thousand members of the Universal Alliance here on Earth." reminded them Yhmos while standing up, pacing back and forth with narrowed eyes. "Even with their resources as limited and their situation as bad as that Ghost Walker suit told the boy, they're still a threat that could cause _worldwide chaos_ in the worst-case scenario."

"Wo-worldwide?!" shouted a wide-eyed Yui, her lilac-haired sister equally shocked. "Pa-Papa, surely that's an exaggera…?"

"Yui, dear, if they somehow managed to salvage even a low-level Invader weapon in operational condition from their ship, then they will have more than enough firepower to destroy Japan in less than a star cycle." grimly informed the Ancient Ruler to his 'daughters', who stared at him in horror. "And regardless if they did or not, with how desperate they seem to kill 'me' then there is no telling how bold will they become until they don't try and be 'stealthy' about their attacks anymore. Now, can you imagine how humanity would react to know there are aliens with highly advanced technology rampaging through their planet?"

"…oh my Cardinal." whispered Strea with a terrified voice.

"…ugh. Please, Yui, Strea, can you two go and make sure Tomoe has finished with all the 'arrangements' to solve the Konno twins' situation?" asked Yhmos with a tired voice, looking at the two AIs with a gaze that suddenly seemed extremely old. "Then contact Kirigaya Kazuto and tell him that we need to arrange a meeting with _everyone_ here as soon as they can. And yes, I do mean 'everyone'. Get both Konno Yuuki and Konno Aiko a couple of AmuSpheres and send them to their new 'residence', and also tell your sisters. We need to seriously discuss how to stop a catastrophe that could potentially destroy us all."

"Ha-hai, Papa! We will get right into it, don't worry!" declared Yui with a mix of worry and determination, Strea following cue as they hurried out of the Throne Room to go and find their sisters.

As soon as they were out of sight, the Ancient Ruler released another sigh as he let himself fall into his throne once again, his eyes turning towards the balcony and staring towards the stars covering the ever-open sky of Authea.

Suddenly, without any warning, Yhmos virtual image 'flickered', the avatar's eyes widening as his body seemed to spasm and vanish for an instant, before returning to normal once again.

Slowly, the recovered virtual entity looked at his hands, as if peering deep into what was hiding under the polygons and data that made them.

"…so, it has already begun." muttered the Ancient Ruler with a hint of finality, his gaze once again moving towards the fake sky, reminding that of his lost world. "…at the very least, for them…I have to make sure that this doesn't end the same way…"

* * *

Once again, the sun was setting over Japan, signifying how Christmas day was coming to an end, most people preparing for a good dinner with their family while others bid farewell to friends and relatives as they returned home after the festivities.

However, in a certain apartment, things were not like that at all. In fact, if one were to ask Asada Shino, she would probably declare that this was by far the weirder Christmas that she had ever experienced, and that she was still not totally sure of how to react to that.

"Hey, Shino-san, would you mind if I made some tea?" asked Aiko while peering into the room, where the aforementioned bespectacled girl and her own twin were sitting watching TV, though only the latter was really paying attention to anything happening on the screen. "I'm sure the rest would appreciate it when they come back."

"I-it's okay, Aiko, I don't mind. Ah, the kettles are in the big drawer under the sink…"

Receiving a smile for answer, Shino watched how the older of the Konno twins vanished around the corner before looking once again towards the younger one, who was intently watching a report about the still ongoing chaos in the international astronomical community because of a new constellation literally appearing out of nowhere overnight some time ago (And now she had quite the suspicion about how THAT could have happened). Certainly, her new flatmates were a bit curious, but overall pleasant people.

Yeah…'flatmates'. She wasn't still sure how she had been roped into that, or why exactly she had accepted, but…

 **'Oh, don't be silly, partner. You know very well it was both because you didn't want to endanger your mother and also to try and make new friends!'**

 _"Ehm…while I won't deny I didn't want my mother getting mixed in all of this, I'm still not sure if people closely related to the not-so-bright boy that fused us into some human-living metal hybrid are the best choice to have as the first few friends in almost 7 years, no matter how nice they may be."_ answered the bespectacled girl to the alien suit with which she now 'shared' mind and body. _"I was hoping for a bit of normality in my life after this…"_

 **'Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad!'** insisted Hecate with a pouting tone (Or that's what Shino imagined, at least). **'Besides, I like that Kazuto boy! You don't know how BIG of a relief is to know that the Tyrant's powers not only are not available to him anymore but also in the hands of someone who doesn't want to conquer the Universe!'**

 _"You forget that I went through your memories less than 12 hours ago, so I have some idea of why would you say that. Even so…"_ looking to the side, Shino released a sigh and shook her head. _"I don't know, he just doesn't seem very reliable. Not the kind of guy I would trust with Universal-level powers, at least…"_

 **'Well, he has to have SOMETHING positive going for him, right? I mean, why else would he be surrounded by so many females of your species that seem to trust him so much?'** countered the alien suit with an interested tone, causing one of the girl's eyebrows to twitch.

 _"That's…something else I don't have any wish to know about. Besides, one of them is his sister, so that doesn't really count…I think."_ uncertainly thought Shino, remembering that the girl that kept calling him 'Onii-chan', Suguha, seemed awfully close to the boy, and not exactly in a sibling-like way. _"Still, I think I need to make the best out of this situation until…"_

"We're back." informed a familiar voice from the direction of the doorway, making the bespectacled girl turn around, seeing Kazuto, Asuna and Suguha entering the room some seconds later, followed by a smiling Aiko carrying a tray with 6 steaming teacups. "Ah…thanks a lot, Aiko."

"You're welcome, Kazuto-kun!" cheerfully replied the older Konno sister while passing the tea to everyone, receiving grateful words in return before finally grabbing a cup herself and offering the last one to her little sister. "Here, Yuu. It has been some time since I last made it, but it's the tea exactly how you like…Yuu? Something wrong?"

"They're talking about the hospital." whispered Yuuki with a low tone while looking sadly at the screen, making the group of not-so-normal teens blink and look towards the newest report they were showing on the screen, in which the familiar sight of Yokohama North General hospital could be seen."

"…and the causes or intentions behind the mysterious terrorist attack that took place here yesterday remain unknown. Despite this, the actual damage to the hospital's structure seems to be minimal and the building isn't at risk of collapsing. The fact that no patients or members of the staff suffered anything beyond lesser wounds remains both a blessing and a source of confusion." droned a reporter while some external shots of the damaged parts of the hospital visible from the street were shown on screen. "Even more disconcerting, though, is the fact that neither the police nor the involved personnel of the facility were willing to declare anything on the culprits behind the attack. Also, some rumors going around say that a patient was kidnapped for a special room and…"

"That…could have ended better." sighed Kazuto while shaking his head, grabbing everyone's attention. "Then again, I had no idea yesterday would end in such a massive clusterfuck…"

"Well, it's not as if you knew you going to save us would end up with us fighting against aliens from another Universe trying to kill you. Besides, you were asked to do it." pointed out Yuuki with a thoughtful look, before her eyes widened and she waved her hands in a panic. "A-ah, not that I'm not grateful or anything! On the contrary, I will never be able to repay you for…!"

"Yuu, breathe. And calm down. He already told you it's okay, remember?" Aiko silenced her while putting a hand on her head while Asuna suppressed a chuckle and the rest sweatdropped, the younger Konno having reacted like that several times since both of them and Shino were 'informed' of all the madness that was their current situation. "…what I don't understand is why they haven't said anything about us to the media or at least reported something to the authorities…"

"You have to see it from their perspective, Aiko. For them, your 'corpse' vanished before their eyes just before unseen attackers started wreaking havoc through the hospital, the few that remembering seeing 'something' only talk about a massive armored form of 4 arms and literally invisible and soundless attacks. Then, Yuuki vanishes from her sealed room while it's STILL sealed and with not a trace of anyone forcing their way in, yet the adjacent hallways are pretty damaged…up until an irregular point where nothing is wrong as if things repaired themselves." seriously explained Kazuto while pointing at the screen. "If I was them, I would also be very reticent about telling anything beyond what's strictly necessary to the authorities, let alone media."

Shocked silence and several surprised looks received the gamer's words, making him blink in confusion before Asuna laughed softly at it all, putting a hand on her cheek as she did so.

"…heheheh…God, I had almost forgotten about that 'Detective-kun' side of yours, you know?" teased the chestnut-haired girl, making the boy blush and look down mumbling about people not taking him seriously even as his adoptive sister patted him on the back. "Still, thanks a lot again for accepting letting Yuuki-san and Aiko-san to stay here with you after you accidentally got dragged into this mess, Shino-san."

"Yeah, well, until Mr. Alien Powers here can find a way to restore me and Hecate to normal…" Shino pointedly looked at Kazuto as she said those words, making the gamer look uncomfortably at them and mutter something of an apology for the twentieth time that day. "It's best if I stay away from my mother so as to not put her at risk. Luckily, she is… a very passive person, so she didn't mind much that I wanted to move here earlier than expected, and given that the two of them needed help, well…" shrugging, the bespectacled girl looked awkwardly to the side, as if not used to this kind of situation. "I just hope you don't mind sleeping in futons, as there is no space to put more beds here…"

"We have no problem with that at all, Shino-san! Again, thanks a lot for letting us stay with you." Aiko offered a small bow as she said those words, making Yuuki hastily imitate her actions, albeit a little awkwardly. "Still, are you sure we won't be a burden for you? I know Yin and Yan's 'father' apparently paid for our short-term necessities, but…"

Hearing that, the bespectacled girl's face lost most of its color while the others almost choke with their tea. They could still remember how Shino had been about to faint when she saw the amount of money the virtual twins had put on her bank account a couple hours before, to 'help out their best friends' and 'the marvelous person letting them stay with her'.

They couldn't blame her, though. Neither Kazuto nor Suguha had ever seen so many zeroes before in their lives (At least outside videogames), and Asuna had only done so when she had rarely overheard her father or brother talking about business-level transactions.

The virtual sniper herself was just grateful her mother trusted her enough to manage her own bank account by herself. She was sure as hell she wouldn't be able to make up an excuse for WHERE that much money had come from, ever. Honestly, she was surprised the police hadn't already appeared on her door asking about it, but she supposed the super AIs that the Alien God from another Universe had adopted as his daughters had made sure that nothing of the sort happened, somehow.

…she was still trying to contain the headache that came with accepting that all of that was truth and not some crazy dream.

"I-I assure you that won't be a problem anytime soon, Aiko-san." reassured Shino while taking a sip from her tea, trying to calm herself down. "None at all."

"So…what happens now?" asked Yuuki with an uncertain tone, everyone exchanging glances even as Kazuto sighed heavily.

"We just called Silica and Liz…uhm, those are our two other friends involved in this, to let them know all of what happened last night. They were really worried, and we were going to meet up with them to talk things over in our other friend's café in a bit." spoke the gamer with an unusually serious tone, before looking awkwardly at the 3 girls he had met the yesterday (Or early that day, technically). "Also, Yui (That would be Yhmos', the Alien God, oldest 'daughter') called us and told us they want to arrange a meeting with _all_ of us. They say that these other aliens that tried to kill us are very bad news and we need to decide on a course of action, so…"

"What my Onii-chan is trying to say is that we were hoping you could join us tonight, so as to make things easier," cut him off Suguha with a smile, making Kazuto sent a grateful look her way. "Our parents think we're off with some friends for dinner, and that's technically true, so we can calmly answer all questions and…decide how much you want to know about all of this from here on now, if at all."

"…I'm going." replied Shino without hesitation while standing up, a serious look on her eyes. "I… have seen the scale at which these guys fight, the 'wars' they waged to destroy this 'Yhmos' alien. I don't want THAT happening here on this planet, like, at all."

 **'That's the spirit, partner!'** cheered Hecate while emerging from the girl's left shoulder (Tearing through her jacket as it did so) in the form of a camera-like thing of black metal, startling everyone sans her 'bodymate'. **'I also want the opportunity to enjoy a peaceful life, so I will lend you my full support!'**

"…and there is her, of course, which is just another reason to be 'in the loop' about these things." sighed Shino while shaking her head, mentally wiling the metal to recede and her skin to return to normal, mentally scowling the living suit as she took off her jacket. "Now, excuse me for a moment while I get another jacket and remind my friend why she shouldn't try and warp some part of 'our' body under my clothes…"

"I'm going too! Those aliens yesterday, they could have seriously hurt someone in the hospital, but they didn't care. They didn't even stop to listen to you when you tried to explain things, Kazuto-kun." declared Aiko with a clenched fist. "As the leader of the Sleeping Knights, I can't allow them to try something like that again. All life is precious and has meaning, but it seems as if it doesn't matter for them at all…"

"And wherever my sister goes, you can bet I will be there to back her up!" cheered Yuuki while jumping on her twin's back, making her laugh and causing a smile to appear on the others' faces. "Plus, it's the first time in years I will be going to a café! And I'm always up for meeting new friends!"

"It's decided, then!" proclaimed Asuna while smiling brightly. "Now, we should better get some time to get both of you a new wardrobe while we're out and…"

Silently, Kazuto walked out of the room and into the hallway-kitchen that led to the main door, lost in deep thought. He hadn't been alone for even a second when Suguha leaned on his back, a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?" whispered the young kendoka while hugging him softly.

"It's just…sorry, I guess. I know you wanted us to have a good time today, alone, and I was truly looking forward to it too, and then…well, all of this happened. And now we're in the middle of an extremely dangerous situation." muttered the black-haired boy while covering her hands with his, basking in the warmth of her body. "Guess I'm both disappointed and more than a little scared about what may happen…"

"…idiot." chided him Suguha before turning him around and sealing his lips with hers, both enjoying the short kiss before she let go and gazed deep into his eyes. "We will get through this, all of us together, okay, Kazuto?"

"…yes. Yeah, you're right, Sugu." answered the gamer while hugging her close to him. "Sorry for worrying you."

"…besides, I'm SO having you make it up to me with _interests_ in New Year's Eve." whispered Suguha to his ear, making the boy's face lit up as she chuckled and let go of him before turning around and heading back towards where the others were. "Now c'mon, let's save Yuuki-chan and Aiko-chan from Asuna's 'mom-mode' and start heading for the Dicey Café before Rika and Keiko-chan get impatient!"

Watching the back of his girlfriend vanish around a corner, Kirigaya Kazuto couldn't help but smile. Suguha was right, they would get through this, somehow.

After all, they had cosmic powers on their side, plus all the information they could need about those aliens thanks to Yhmos.

What was the worst that could happen?

In that same instant, on the dark side of the moon…a 'rip' through Reality cracked open, golden light spilling into the darkened void as SOMETHING emerged.

The humanoid figure stepped out of the [Nothingness] and back into Reality with a sickening sound, the glorious light that had somehow protected him from the horrors of Beyond vanishing and revealing golden and blue armor cracked and damaged beyond belief, endless scorch marks covering it, the remains of a vermilion mantle on its back hanging into the gravity-less void for an instant.

Then, the laws of Reality took hold of him once again and ice started covering the damaged armor, the mantle freezing and cracking instantly from the sub-zero temperatures of the void.

Slowly, the figure reached out towards the moon, as if trying to reach it…or the planet beyond it, diamond-shaped eyes of a deep crimson color shining for a moment under the helmet.

If sound could travel through the void, a single, broken word would have been heard…

 _"…Ely…sium…"_

* * *

 **Omake: Star Hunters' Log 4**

 _Admiral Orion Caius Revenant_ (Deceased)

 **[BIOGRAPHY CLASSIFIED]**

 **Age** : 105 Human Years (Rough Equivalent)

 **Military Rank:** Supreme Admiral of the Float

 **Main Abilities:** Excelsior Class Battle Armor. Re **[CLASSIFIED]**

 **Weaponry:** Heavy Automatic 'Nebula' System. Bla **[CLASSIFIED]**

 _New orders from Captain Revenant. All information about her father is to be classified and deleted from the main data-storages that remain in the camp, except her personal ones. I won't question her orders. It's not my place to do so, and I'm sure she must have her own reasons too. Ending current entry log…_

* * *

 **Lesson 8** **:** _A living weapon is more than just a tool. Everything alive is._

* * *

 **Next Lesson** **:** _Star Princess of the Crimson Claws_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Done! Man, that was quite a crazy ride…

So, yeah, all that happened :P No more comments about the massive delay because I think you must be tired of hearing me apologizing after my pre-chapter's notes, so let's just say that I truly hope this was at least a bit worth the wait OxO

As you can see, the plot is ready to get crazier now, and things are all in place for it to shoot to infinity. All characters have been introduced and assembled, the setting is prepared, and all surprises have been shown or hinted at. Now all that's left is for shit to get real at cosmic levels XP

And a couple of things! To 'Star King', if you're still reading this, I think I was very clear last chapter, ALL the characters from canon SAO that I'm going to use were introduced so far with that chapter. I'm NOT going to use Alicization's plot in this story at all and I don't know how or why you thought this :O And to 'Psp reader', while I love to see you have enjoyed my stories a lot and am glad to have you around, let me tell you that you may want to create an actual account if you want to ask questions, otherwise I cannot directly contact you :P Like, seriously, I think you left like 5 while you went through One Punch-Gamer and I had no way of answering any XD

Also, hope the part where Shino and Hecate were in each other's memories was as interesting as I intended it to be crazy and confusing. If so, I did my job right :D

Now, next chapter things will…well, those who have been paying attention to the story may have a clue thanks to the preview title, but yeah, be prepared for it, heh OwO

That's all from me for now! Have a happy Halloween and a good day, everyone :)!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!

 **B/N:** _In order to address a certain review I found about Hecate's pronouns, no, -she- is not a male. It was just Saint not pressing the 's' button hard enough. I hope this cleared up any confusion._

 _Until next time!_  
 _~One More Guy_


	11. Chapter 9: Star Princess

Hello everyone again, and even if you're getting tired of hearing it, I still feel I must say it: Sorry. I never intended for my updates to become monthly, really, but life is how it is, and I'm doing the best I can. Do not fret though, because I don't plan to abandon this story, neither have my plans of writing OPG's sequel changed! It may just take a bit longer than I originally thought, but on the plus side, my SAO-inspiration is greater than ever :D I got a copy of Hollow Realization for my PSVita and, in the short time I get to play these days, I have been enjoying it like no tomorrow, my love for the characters of this great series just growing, especially the hilarious situations the gang gets in the 'Holloweverse' XP

But well, enough of that, I guess. You didn't come here to hear about me playing videogame when I'm not drowning in school work, but to read this crazy-as-hell story about aliens, Space Gods and a gamer with girls' problems :3 Enjoy!

 **B/R Note:** _One More Guy here. Well, as I'd love to keep beta reading Saint's story, I really have no time to do anything at all these days. This chapter is the last one I beta, at least until summer comes around._

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Star Princess of the Crimson Claws**

 **December 28th, 2024. Authea, Requiem Universus Online. Orpheus City, 15:30…**

Staring at the star-filled sky, in which the Floating Palace of Astemeri hung silently over the world's capital city (Orpheus), Kirito couldn't help but close his eyes and remind himself that he had nothing to be nervous about. That everything was going to be fine.

…though maybe his nervousness stemmed more from the fact that almost every single player that passed through there stopped or slowed down to stare at him and the others, more than one even starting whispering things as they pretended not to be looking at them.

Of course, he couldn't really blame them, as he supposed the 'group' really made for an odd sight, even in the strange world that was Requiem Universus Online. Among them, Shino's avatar (Sinon, she had told them) stood out the most, if only because the difference between her gear and the others' was pretty clear.

Despite the great and otherworldly variety of equipment parts existing in RUO (Be it armor, personal gear or weapons), after a while any player could tell the difference between the simpler ones and those who were out of a normal or beginner player's reach. The girl's almost-skintight blue and grey suit, with two futuristic-looking military belts around her hips and one across her chest, clearly qualified as that, just like the strange tech-piece wrapped around her hair in the form of some kind of visor (though currently not over her eyes), the mostly black piece of metal with orange lenses making quite the contrast with her light-blue hair.

And if that wasn't enough to get the point of how dangerous a player she was, there was always the bulky weapon on her back.

Risking another glance towards the backpack-like 'shield' that the girl carried, the gamer couldn't help but feel a healthy amount of envy towards her. After all, he knew very well how difficult it was to get a Rare Drop in any kind of MMORPG. And getting one in a VRMMO (according to his experiences in SAO and his recent brief in ALO, at least), was even harder.

Getting one from a super rare Named Mob that had the currently known lowest chance of spawning and Item Dropping in the whole game surely was of great aid. It was no wonder Sinon was doing so well in such a massive and complex world despite being a solo player. Thanks to the 'Hecate Mark X', a hybrid weapon of 'Super Rare' Status consisting of a heavy Ion Sniper Rifle with a maximum accurate reach of almost 6 kilometers that transformed into a personal Ion Shield-Generator, she was by far the strongest member of the uneven group, at least when it came to stats and equipment. Not to mention she was a whopping level 62. Compared to her, the rest of them simply fell _short_.

Even Yuuki and Ran (Aiko's avatar), with levels of 42 and 44 respectively, couldn't even remotely generate the same level of 'Pro Aura' that the blue-haired sniper seemed to do. And they were wearing armor and gear obtained through Quests that weren't exactly easy or common, certainly not ones that beginners would do. Their weapons didn't look all that fancy, though the twins had confirmed they had been upgraded several times since they first got them (Or 'crafted' them, in Yuuki's case), and Kirito had to admit Yuuki looked really cool with those 3 blades crossed on the strange gear on her back (It still baffled him how she apparently used the only one on her hip to control them all through some sort of anti-gravity, even if the girl had admitted she was still getting used to having a third Flying Blade.

Of course, it should be obvious that, despite not doing so as much as Sinon, both of them also garnered quite the attention from the 'regular' players… and then, there was the rest of them.

Level-wise, the black-haired boy knew that they completely sucked when compared to the 3 other girls. After all, even he, Leafa and Asuna, who had actually played the game for a bit before this day, had barely broken the first 10 levels (being 14, 12 and 13 respectively). Silica and Lisbeth, on the other hand, had only played one day before that one, and only some hours, so they were barely level 5 and 4 on their own. Even if he knew that they had better experience in combat because of SAO (At least Asuna and himself, given neither Liz nor Silica had been Front Liners), and his adoptive sister because of her kendo experience, it didn't change the fact that Yuuki, Ran and Sinon could probably kick their asses pretty hard if it came down to a one-on-one fight.

The 'problem' was, of course, their status as survivors of Sword Art Online, which was pretty obvious. While there was no real 'indication' of one's status as someone that lived through the Death Game, the fact that people hadn't exactly tried to hide the 'converted equipment' privilege one got from converting their old accounts made it pretty easy to identify the SAO Survivors. Despite how varied the equipment could get in RUO, the 'uniqueness' of the converted weapons and equipment was pretty notorious, given some of the curious or outright weird combinations that the change from one game to another had caused in their looks.

Even putting his and Asuna's looks aside, Kirito only needed to glance towards the last two of his old 'friends' to confirm this: Liz was wearing a skintight magenta suit that left most of her legs exposed, together with heavy metallic boots, with a metallic piece on her hips slightly imitating a skirt… and the 'apron' that had been in her original SAO outfit over it, not having changed at all, which made for a much more 'revealing' attire than she was used to (Something one wouldn't usually think, given her teasing nature). Silica, on the other hand, wore a mostly red light armor over some 'hunter-like' clothes, which covered her from head to toe except her hands and feet, clad in black gloves and boots respectively, the only noticeably 'different' part being the silver-white chest-part of the armor (which had a strange and glowing red gem on its center, for some reason). If that wasn't attention-grabbing enough, though, there were always the glowing red 'spheres' that now tied together her usual twin-tails… or Pina's otherworldly form sitting on her head, happily cooing at the contact with his master.

Seriously, the gamer still found the view extremely bizarre, mainly because the 'feathers' of the small blue dragon had turned into actual scales like his legendary siblings, and the tip of his tail now burned with cosmic fire, but for the Beast Tamer it seemed as if there was nothing out of the ordinary with having her little friend staying over her head like usual, or even scratching his side from time to time.

Through the process of elimination, that would leave Leafa as the least remarkable member of their group… if the blonde girl wasn't floating several centimeters above the ground just behind him as she held a cheerful conversation with Asuna, clad in a bright emerald piece of machinery that seemed both deadly and at the same time designed to show off her curves a bit too much, with which the white/green swimsuit-like 'suit' she had to wear under it helping, leaving her arms and legs fully exposed when not wearing the 'armor'.

Honestly, even if there were people cold-blooded enough to not just stare stupidly at the girl because of her looks (And Kirito had to remind himself several times he was not a violent person to refrain from stabbing every guy he saw doing this), the fact that she was wearing one of the absurdly expensive 'Celestial Regalia' would be more than enough to draw a lot of attention. Not only that, but the armor-vehicles were very limiting in terms of playing ability, as they nullified and/or blocked most of the personal or ability-based Upgrades and Skills of a Player in exchange for extreme 3D Movement and absurd strength and resistance based in the Regalia's Upgradable Stats and installed weapons, plus the Player's own ability. Both of these reasons made it so that, currently, the number of Players that actually had and used Regalia in the whole game could probably be counted with both hands, and at least half of them could be considered newbies in their control trying to show-off an expensive 'toy'.

The gamer, though, knew very well that his girlfriend wasn't like that at all: He had seen her flying around through Authea's skies in that thing at speeds that would put racers to shame with almost the same easiness that she did with her delicate wings in Alfheim (all the way while laughing and shouting like a child on a sugar rush, but for the sake of preserving his health, he _obviously_ hadn't commented on that). And there was no doubt in his mind about Leafa's ability to handle the massive (For human standards) katana-like mechanical blade that could be deployed from the side of her right arm, which she used as her main weapon despite the many long-range ones the 'Celestial Regalia: Emerald Blade' had. He should know, as he had 'volunteered' to help her test out most of its abilities after they bought it for her.

In the end, though, the situation could be summarized in one way: They stood out A LOT. And that was probably the reason why dozens of players had stopped (sometimes for more than a couple of minutes) to stare at the group the last quarter of an hour.

It was really starting to get on Kirito's nerves, to be honest.

"So…what did you do this weekend, Sinon-san?" suddenly asked Silica after several seconds of pleasant but slightly awkward silence had settled over the group.

"Uh? Ah, well, I kind of finished moving my things to the apartment, then Yuuki and Aiko helped me put everything in order…" The sniper awkwardly answered while giving the younger girl a sheepish look. "We saw a couple of movies together, too…"

The gamer couldn't help but smile softly at the exchange. Certainly, while they still knew little about Sinon's actual life, both because of how she was and the bizarre nature of their 'meeting', it was obvious that the girl was trying to open up to them, encouraged by the Konno twins and, surprisingly, the living alien suit that had he had accidentally fused with her.

The meeting they all had that bizarre Christmas night not long ago in the Dicey Café had gone surprisingly well, all things considered. Aiko and Yuuki had certainly given everything a much more joyous air, especially with Yin and Yan surprise 'assistance' through a phone call to enjoy the night with their friends despite the worlds that separated them (Yui had apologized profusely about that, but he honestly hadn't minded one bit).

It made the boy wonder just how long had it been since the two had been out and about with friends in the real world, just having a good time during Christmas like normal girls. It was probably even more attention-grabbing than the fact that, beyond some initial surprise, they didn't seem fazed at all upon discovering that their newest twin-friends were, in fact, super-advanced AIs, or that their father was some sort of fallen Space God from another Universe (Multiverse… something like that).

On the other hand, both Keiko and Rika had taken the news of everything that had happened while they slept in Christmas Eve surprisingly well… after the younger girl almost cried in worry at the 'terrible danger' he had been in and the older one barely restraining herself from strangling him while calling him an idiot, all but making him SWEAR to never again do something like that without at least trying to warn all of them.

Any worries he may have had about how they would get along with Shino (And of how the bespectacled girl would react to them) vanished so fast he felt silly for having had them. After all, no one could dislike Silica, and, after offering her 'condolences' to the confused 'hybrid' for 'being dragged into all that madness because of the idiotic Kirito', Liz had also bonded with her pretty fast…not really improving the girl's opinion of him when she warned her to not 'fall in his seductive clutches', though, which had made Shino eye him warily for the rest of the night.

He really needed to have a talk with the blacksmith about taking her teasing way too far…

 **'My partner is just downplaying how much fun we had, don't mind her!'** The weapon on Sinon's back… chimed, making her blush slightly and glare at it over her shoulder, even as Silica sweatdropped at the cheerful tone. **'If it counts, I'm really enjoying this planet of yours! I never knew that living as a normal human could be so much fun!'**

"Hecate, please, shut up before someone asks again where I got a talking weapon." pleaded the sniper with a slightly suffering tone.

"You know… I still don't get how THAT happened." commented Yuuki while eyeing the blue-haired girl and the shield-generator/rifle on her back.

 **'What is there to understand? We share the same body with both our minds, that AmuSphere-thing scans both our brainwaves (Or whatever I have) when my partner here Logs In, I download myself on her weapon… it's pretty simple, Yuuki!'** explained the shield-rifle with the same carefree tone.

"…I'm pretty sure there are way too many illogical things with that statement." deadpanned Sinon while shaking her head.

"Well, it's not weirder than however the hell Pina here still appears every time Silica-chan enters a game." pointed out Lisbeth while looking towards the aforementioned pair, both of them blinking at her in confusion. "I mean, how does it work? Does he 'vanish' from the real world and enters here with you through your AmuSphere or something? Or is there still an actual dragon beside your bed that anyone entering your room could see right about now?"

"Honestly… I had never thought of that." The twin-tailed girl with her eyes widened, revealing a sudden hint of panic. Staring in her dragon friend's eyes for an answer wasn't of any help, as she only got a clueless shrug for a reply. "O-oh God, what if it's the second thing?! M-my parents could find Pina, I need…!"

"Calm down, Silica-san, I can assure you that this is 95% not the case." A voice that most of them were already familiar with to different degrees suddenly spoke, the group's gazes moving as one in time to see a flash of white light shoot down from the heavens and land before them, revealing Yui's smiling form. "Pina-san is most likely a projection tied directly to your consciousness, as he doesn't really need to eat or drink from what I have gathered, so he would most likely disappear and rematerialize with you according to your subconscious will every time you enter a virtual world."

"O-oh…thanks for the explanation, Yui-san!" quickly thanked the Beast Tamer while doing a bow towards the AI, who just chuckled softly at the gesture.

"Good afternoon, Yui." Leafa greeted with a small wave, which was slightly exaggerated because of the Regalia she was wearing, all the while Asuna sent a small smile towards the black-haired 'princess'.

"It's good to see you again, Yui-san," the chestnut-haired girl said while casually leaning against the blonde girl's floating form, the armor-vehicle she wore allowing her to not be bothered by it. "We were starting to wonder why you were taking so long."

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that. Pap…Uhm, father, was having a talk with our 'associates' in the real world about the game and possible future expansion content, and it dragged out longer than we thought. Also…"

"Heeeeey everyone!" An also familiar voice was heard right before a figure almost literally fell down over Yui, hanging from her back with a massive smile as she looked at them. "Long time no see, Kirito, girls!"

"Welp, that apparently answer one question," Lisbeth idly muttered with a wry smile as the 'craziest' of the MHCPs let go of her older sister and started to skip towards them.

"Hi…Strea…great to see you," Kirito muttered with a small sweatdrop, which probably had to do with the fact that both Leafa and Asuna had seemingly teleported to his sides, both of them with crossed arms and small glares aimed to the lilac-haired girl, who pouted cutely at them for being denied her usual 'hug-tackling greeting', before smiling again and shooting towards her next 'target', sweeping the surprised Konno twins into a hug.

"Yuuki! Ran! I'm so happy to see you!" Strea cheered while seemingly trying to virtually strangle both girls. "And Yin and Yan are even happier! I swear, the fact we had to wait 3 days before you could all officially get in here was like an eternity for them and…!"

"S-Strea-san, I… can't breathe…!"

"Ple-please, Strea, while I know Yuu isn't really going to suffocate, you're squeezing a bit too tightly…!"

"She… really has a lot of energy, doesn't she?" Silica asked with a noticeable blush on her face, totally not jealous of the virtual girl's figure.

"You know, I thought you were exaggerating a bit when you described her before, but not, that girl really seems like the crazy bombshell you described." Lisbeth firmly replied with a cheeky grin, before throwing a knowing smirk towards a certain pair. "Better keep Mr. Dark and Cool there on a tight leash, Leafa, or he may make her fall deeply into his claws…"

"Wha…?! Liz, please, don't make jokes like that!" Kirito pleaded while resisting the urge to facepalm. "Someone may take them…"

"I fear it's already too late for that, Liz-san." lamented the blonde girl with a heavy sigh, making the gamer's head snap in her direction. "There was nothing I could do to prevent it, it seems."

"Gah! Su-Sugu, don't say it like…"

"In fact, I fear that, if it wasn't for her sister's active efforts, she would be following Kirito-kun around like a hyperactive puppy every time he Logs In," Asuna added while shaking her head, making the black-haired boy shoot her a betrayed look. "And the only reason she doesn't do it when she manages to get away from Yui-san is because I and/or Sugu-chan are always keeping watch over him."

"…Asuna… you too…?" Kirito painfully whispered while burying his face in his hands. "I'm RIGHT HERE, you know…?"

"Suck it up, Onii-chan," Leafa happily answered while putting an armored hand over his shoulder, almost making him fall down. "You know it's the truth."

"Well…glad to know you two found such an inspiring thing to bond over." Lisbeth giggled while shaking her head, making both girls blink and look confusedly at each other, only to return that same stare towards the pink-haired blacksmith. "Wait, are you really telling me you haven't noticed? Since that day you almost murder each other in Agil's café you two have been acting like best friends forever or some…!"

"AHEM," Sinon called out with a twitching eyebrow, making everyone look in her direction to see how the sniper was crossing her arms and impatiently tapping the floor with her right foot. "As interesting as all these conversations are, could we perhaps continue with them as we head for our real destination, up there in the floating palace, where anyone around can't hear us?"

True to the blue-haired girl's words, the group's last-minute shenanigans had been going on while still in the middle of that particular street, which meant that several players were (not so) discretely trying to listen in, more than one probably deep in thought trying to decipher it all and probably having either taken a picture or recorded part of the scene.

"…oops, sorry about that." Yui sighed, before a flash of white light engulfed the whole group, quickly compressing and shooting upwards, depositing them safely (if a bit dazzled) on one of Astemeri's hallways. "I shouldn't have left Strea's arrival to distract me so much, and, for that, I apologize. Don't worry, I will have Tomoe-chan and Haru track down and delete any picture or recording made in that area from the last 20 minutes."

"You know, under normal circumstances, I would be more scared about how casually you talk about, and seem to have the power to, intrude upon the privacy of anyone Logged In in this game…" Kirito said while they all followed the sisters through the palace's impressive corridors, leaving those that had been there for the first time in awe. "But given the situation, I will just thank you."

"Well said, Kirito! Intruding upon others' privacy is right if there is a good reason for it!" happily proclaimed Strea with a raised arm, only to blink and laugh weirdly after it. "N-not that I do such a thing, of course!"

The looks everyone gave her were a clear answer to what they thought of her decoration. On a side note, Yui decided that she should 'check over' her little sister's private servers later. Just in case.

"…I'm slightly worried that I'm getting used to all this madness in my life." whispered Sinon while trying to resist the urge to sigh and question her life.

 **'Oh, cheer up, Partner! Things can only keep getting better for us, you will see!'**

"As contradictory as it is that I'm agreeing with the alien-suit sharing your body and possessing your rifle-shield right now, she's right, Sinon," Kirito commented while putting a hand on the sniper's shoulder and offering her a small smile, making the girl freeze in place. "Things will get better, and we will make sure nothing happens to you, okay?"

For an instant, Sinon simply stared silently at the gamer with an unreadable expression, making him think that she was carefully thinking about and considering her words…

And then the sniper smiled at him in an extremely disturbing way, with closed eyes and everything, paralyzing the black-haired boy even as she, slowly and carefully, removed his hand from her shoulder, tightly gripping as she never stopped smiling.

"Thanks for the sentiment, but please, refrain from touching me out of the blue like that again if you don't want me blowing up your head, okay?" Sinon furiously stated with a voice as sweet as her smile, before her eyes opened and narrowed as she STARED at him, the gamer believing to see a hint of black metal in them for an instant. "I don't care how much of a good guy everyone says you are, for me you're still the idiot that fused me with a freaking piece of living alien tech (no offense, Hecate) and has no idea of how to reverse it for the foreseeable future or the consequences this will cause. So don't go acting as if we're all best buddies all of a sudden, will you?"

Receiving a shaky nod in answer, the sniper seemed to deem herself satisfied and let go of Kirito's hand, quickly turning around and following after the others, leaving behind the slightly shaken gamer.

"…okay, guess becoming even remotely friends with her is going to take some time." muttered the boy before sighing and following after her.

 **'…woah, partner, are you okay? Our heart was going crazy back there despite all that bravery you showed!'** pointed out Hecate to her 'body-mate' through their mental link, only to 'gasp' in surprise a moment after. **'Oh! That's right, this is, like, the first time ever any boy touches you and tells you sweet and reassuring things that make you feel sa…!"**

 _"Hecate, shut up. Now."_ The blue-haired girl swiftly cut her off; a noticeable blush in her twitching face, quickening her pace to make sure the gamer only saw her back.

 **'…is this what you Japanese call being a Tsunde…?'**

 _"SHUT UP, I SAID!"_

For some reason, even before his 'guests' arrived, Yhmos the Ancient Ruler already could feel a headache incoming.

* * *

When Kayaba Akihiko entered the small area designated as a 'minor holding cell', he had to remind himself repeatedly that there was no real danger for his life or his integrity several times before finally stepping in.

Idly taking in the plain walls and ceiling, his gaze quickly moving to the glass-like structure that divided the room in two, seemingly possessing no openings on that side, and that allowed him to see a Spartan bed and a small table with a single chair, plus a simple door that he deduced would lead to a small bathroom or something of the sort.

Lying silently and unmoving on the aforementioned bed, Koujiro Rinko stared blankly towards the ceiling, apparently not paying attention to anything in the world.

Steeling his resolve again and reminding himself of several facts that made him be totally safe (No matter how old instincts in his mind were screaming at him to run), the creator of SAO walked all the way to the side of the glass-like material and spoke.

"…Rinko?"

In an instant, the woman's head snapped up and she was sitting in her bed, staring straight at the startled man with such an intensity that Kayaba almost felt like running away screaming in that moment.

"…Akihiko." muttered Rinko with a tired voice. "Got to say, I'm surprised to actually see you here…"

The scientist needed a lot of willpower to not visibly slump to the ground in relief, and also mask how his heartbeat had skyrocketed in terror for an instant.

Indeed, just like Captain Revenant had informed him, his old…'colleague' was once again 'sane', so to speak. Or at least, once she had woken up after they were brought to the camp, she had no longer exhibited any irrational or schizophrenic behavior, sinking into a deep silence she barely broke ever since some minor officer explained the 'situation' to her.

Kayaba had secretly feared that the mere fact of seeing him would somehow make Rinko regress into her 'psychotic' persona, despite how illogical it sounded. He was pretty sure the human mind could work like that, which was the reason why he had taken so long before 'visiting' her.

Now, however, things had changed. He had been carefully going over his options the last few days even as the Star Hunters continued trying to locate either their 'enemy' or their runaway Ghost Walker suit, something that had proven fruitless, as no reports about anything 'strange' that could be attributed to its presence had been reported even after 3 days.

The father of virtual reality was worried that it would only be a matter of time before either Captain Revenant or one of her subordinates (he had been leader of the Knights of Blood long enough to notice the clear resentment General Moria harbored towards his superior's position) got tired of 'playing it safe' and escalated their hunt for their cosmic enemy. And if Kirito was truly involved, then things could only become even _more_ unpredictable.

To summarize, the man was left with no other options. He needed to be ready to act, and for that he needed _help_.

Any kind of help.

"Rinko… I want you to hear me out and calmly consider everything I'm about to tell you." finally spoke Kayaba with unusual conviction, after an awkwardly long pause. "Whatever problems we may have, they amount to nothing against the possible end of the world as we know it."

Rinko's eyes widened in surprise at the man's words, staring directly at him.

Fifteen minutes later, the grey-haired man walked out of the small building within where his 'colleague' was incarcerated, putting his hands inside his coat and pointedly not looking in any particular direction or acting suspiciously at all, even greeting or being greeted by random members of the surviving alien crew moving around.

The perfect mask of normalcy, without giving anything away. Having been 'Heathcliff' for so long was paying off, in a way the scientist never had expected.

He certainly had never thought it would be useful to deceive aliens into thinking he wasn't trying to do anything to prevent the possible consequences of their plans…

Such thoughts accompanied Kayaba all the way to the camp's command center, where he idly looked at the technicians and droids working on their screens, looking over the system he had helped they set up to track 'cosmic energy'.

The man was still calmly looking over their work when two familiar figures walked his way, making him raise an eyebrow in curiosity before raising a hand to greet them.

"Good afternoon, Captain Revenant." The scientist smoothly greeted while the armored alien stopped near him, her eyes sweeping over the nearby screens as if waiting for them to give her an answer to some inner turmoil, her faithful droid assistant at her side.

"Morning, Kayaba. Though I got to say, I'm surprised. Flint said some of our men saw you go and visit your… 'friend' a bit earlier. When you would all but mentally break down at the mere insinuation of getting near her since you arrived." The young alien commented, diamond-shaped pupils looking at him with curiosity behind the helmet's visor. "Any special reason for that change of heart?"

"I… have calmed down enough to see things in a more adult perspective. Rinko's unstable 'state' was directly my fault, and that makes helping her recover completely my responsibility." Kayaba skillfully lied without missing a beat, with all the detachment that only someone who had managed to create a gigantic death trap inside a game that most of the world had their eyes on, without ANYONE realizing it until it was too late, could. "I hope it's not a problem if I do so?"

"No, be my guest. We can't really spare any guards to keep her locked anyway, so if you manage to ensure she won't be getting in our way we may have her 'released' like you in some time." promised Elysium with a dismissive tone, not knowing how the scientist smiled internally at her words. "…this is getting us nowhere."

"Captain?" questioned the confused droid at the young woman's sudden words, both him and the only human in the camp clearly startled by her frustrated tone.

"He's hiding, and he's not going to come out or slip like that again. Now that he knows that we're here, waiting for him, he has no reason to confront us when he can just remain hidden. And with every cycle, he grows stronger, limiting our options faster than our limited resources do." Closing her hands into fists, the captain let a hint of her bone-tail be visible out of her armor for an instant before turning sharply towards a nearby holo-screen, bringing up a satellite image of Japan and then zeroing on the area near Yokohama, where Konik had 'engaged' their target. "…we need to start showing that we didn't adopt the name of our ship for nothing. If we want truly be 'Star Hunters' then we need to draw him out…by setting a trap."

"A… trap?" The suddenly tense Kayaba questioned with a whisper, but Elysium seemed to ignore him in favor of looking towards her droid assistant once again.

"Flint, tell Moria and Konik I need them in our meeting room now. We can't allow time to slip by while doing nothing." The captain sharply stated while starting to walk away, a decided glint in her eyes. "Tell them to be prepared for a Code Yaris. We're moving to Activate Actions."

"Understood, Captain Revenant!" saluted Flint with a serious tone, staring towards where his superior had gone while sending the message to the other officer's terminals… only to be surprised when a hand suddenly grabbed his side, making the droid turn to the side to see a stone-faced man looking at him with a raised eyebrow, as if cautiously curious.

"Excuse me, Flint, but, what is a Code Yaris? And what does it mean to move into 'Active Actions?" questioned the scientist with an even tone.

"I can't reveal the first one to you, Mr. Kayaba. You have no authorization to know that." quickly answered the machine, not aware of how Akihiko's grip on his side slightly tightened. "I can answer your second question, though: Active Actions mean open acts of direct exposition on an enemy planet. Whether these are done by openly revealing our presence and/or nature or not (If the option is even possible), however, is up to the commanding officer."

Slowly letting go of Flint after a small nod, Kayaba Akihiko once again thanked his time as Heathcliff that the panic he felt didn't show on his face at all.

He had no time left, and still almost nothing prepared. The possible end of the world as mankind knew it was just around the corner.

Meanwhile, General Gahul Moria and Lieutenant Rarun-Konik exchanged a short glance of acknowledgement as they entered the officers' private meeting room… only to stop in surprise/shock at seeing the form of Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant in the center of the room, giving her back to them as she looked over a holographic projection of the entire Kanagawa prefecture (Where Yokohama was located), smaller ones of the surrounding prefectures (Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Yamanashi) around it.

The reasons for this were the weapons clamped tightly around the alien girl's arms, complementing her armor all the way to her elbows with a crimson-blood color.

Shining sinisterly despite the dim lighting of the room, the heavy combat-gauntlets seemed to 'breathe' in eagerness at being once again in their master's arms, the deadly-looking claws that tipped each one (4 in each hand, 15 Earth's cm. long) ready to tear their enemies apart, sharper than any sword.

Slowly, Elysium turned to look at her two subordinates and fellow surviving officers, a steely glint in her emerald eyes that immediately reminded them of her father.

At this, Rarun was filled with a small hint of pride. Moria, on the other hand, suppressed a shudder of fear, his reptilian eyes narrowing in hidden distaste.

"Gentlemen, we have work to do." declared Elysium while raising a clawed hand, the sounds of the weapons mechanism being almost too silent as the claw closed in an eerie way. "We can't delay this anymore. It's finally time to actively hunt the Tyrant."

And probably for the first time since they arrived at Earth, all 3 surviving officers of the Star Hunter agreed on something.

* * *

Yhmos was wishing very dearly that someone would agree with him on how much of a waste of time this had resulted being.

"So, in the end…you can't tell us _anything_ at all?" half-growled the fallen cosmic entity to the massive rifle at Sinon's side, the blue-haired girl clearly uncomfortable being 'in the middle' of the conversation, as she had been for over an hour already.

 **'Hey, I told you a lot already!'** protested Hecate with almost childish defiance, even as everyone else in the room exchanged glances or looked from hers to the Great One's avatar. **'It's not my fault that most of my -memories- were nothing but data that didn't exactly carry over after mine and Shino's -fusion- except for vague glimpses! You should know very well that we Ghost Walker Suits work by a wireless connection with Alliance's databases, where most of our info comes directly from, because carrying information in ourselves isn't exactly what we were designed for!'**

"Bu-but papa, we got lots of info from Hecate-san, right?" tried to interrupt a nervous Yui while raising her hands. "W-we now know how they got here, got a rough estimate of how many of them there are on Earth right now and more or less how limited they are resources-wise! That's already a lot of…!"

"That's not even remotely enough, Yui!" shouted Yhmos while standing up, making the MHCP and her two sisters in the room (Strea and Tomoe) flinch in shock, the humans just looking startled. "I… ugh, sorry, I didn't mean to shout to you, Yui. And while you're right, it doesn't change we have way too unreliable or useless info. We don't know exactly what weapons they carry with them or to what level of technology they have currently access to, hell, the damned suit couldn't even tell us where their 'camp' was located!"

"Hey! That 'suit' has a name, and it's Hecate!" An annoyed Sinon somewhat venomously spat to the suddenly blinking 'old man'. "And I don't care how much of a super space-thing you were before; you won't go around insulting her on my watch!"

 **'Partner…'** softly echoed the living suit with a touched voice.

For a moment, the cosmic entity considered just blasting the human girl to pieces and forcibly disconnecting her, idly wondering when he had fallen so low that even a girl with less than 20 megacycles of age felt she could talk to him like that.

Then, he remembered his current situation and, swallowing his nowadays almost non-existing pride (And pointedly ignoring that damn not-thief boy's smug grin), just sent an annoyed glare towards the sniper before sitting on his 'throne' again.

"…the point is, the only actual 100% reliable piece of info we have gotten is how many Ghost Walkers they have left and that they don't have enough supplies to last them for more than 1 or 2 ultra-cycles… months. And for soldiers of the Universal Alliance, especially ones in such a desperate situation, that may as well be no time at all." Yhmos' voice grew heavier with each word, making sure to stare directly at the humans in the virtual room as he did so. "That may drive them to so something reckless."

"…reckless as in self-destructive reckless or as in _'We're taking down everyone we can with us'_ -reckless?" questioned Asuna with a grim tone, drawing many surprised looks her way (even one, albeit slightly, from the cosmic entity), and reminding everyone who knew it that she had not only been an SAO Survivor, but also the second in command of the greatest guild in Aincrad's Front Lines.

"…the latter." sighed the Great One with a tired voice, making everyone in the room (sans his daughters, who already knew) grimace. "This limits our options in how to handle them too, sadly…"

"In which sense?" questioned Kirito while walking past Sinon, making a subtle gesture for the sniper to step back, which she gratefully took as she moved toward the Konno twins.

"Well, if we had time on our side, I would try and teach you how to use my powers in a logical enough way to track them down, but we don't have the time it would take to drill the delicate workings of the Cosmos in your skull." pointed out Yhmos, definitively not taking any satisfaction in the way in which the gamer's eyebrows twitched at his 'veiled' insult. "So we will have to find them through mundane means, and if we take into account that their camp is apparently under a special 'shield', it will be fucking hard."

"In other words, we can only wait and hope for the best?" asked Leafa with a noticeable frown, clearly not happy at all with that. "I don't like the idea of just waiting while hoping that those aliens don't try and come for Onii-chan again especially when it's YOUR fault that he's being hunted down in the first place!"

"Oh please, spare me the childish looks of hate, girl, this is a much more serious matter than whatever may happen to your dear Kirito." The cosmic entity countered her naïve argument and narrowed his eyes, ignoring the looks almost every female in the room sent his way thanks to his previous statement. "If we don't find and destroy these Space Hunters before they act, the consequences could be catas…!"

"Wait, what? What do you mean with 'destroy'?!" Kirito's shout interrupted Yhmos, the great one noticing the way in which everyone in the room (even his daughters, to a degree) was looking at him in shock. "You make it sound as if…!"

"What did you think we were going to do? Talk them into surrendering?" As he snorted, there was not even a trace of amusement in the cosmic entity's eyes at considering the idea. "This is not a silly anime where the main character can make the half-assed villain turn good with a motivational speech, Kirigaya Kazuto, this is reality."

"And all of this is a damn misunderstanding caused because of YOU!" The gamer snarled back as he walked towards the throne, making the AIs in the room tense, their eyes darting from their 'father' to the angry boy in black. "They're just trying to kill me because they think I'm you! Once they know I'm not a lunatic that will try to use your powers for conquering the Universe, they will…!"

"They're goddamn soldiers that have fought in a Universal-scale war for years, you idiot!" Yhmos cut him off while standing up, looking down at the gamer with rage as energy warped around him, making the human girls tense and reach for their weapons, Yui and Strea unsurely touching the handles of theirs as Tomoe took several steps back. "They came here on a SUICIDE MISSION just to end me and the danger I represented for them! You think they will leave you alone when you know the truth?! The only thing they will do is take advantage of your naivety to take off the kid gloves and get rid of both of us without a shred of effort!"

The long and tense silence that filled the room after the outburst was so thick it could have been cut with a rusty knife… and was finally broken by Kirito looking away and muttering as low but firm reply.

"…no matter what you tell me, I'm not going to kill them all just because they're trying to do their job."

In silence, the great one **stared** at the black-haired boy for several seconds, a strange frown appearing on his face as he seemed to see _something_ on him that he hadn't seen before.

"…Yui, Strea, why don't you show the rest that thing Yin and Yan were preparing for them? I want to talk with Kirigaya Kazuto alone." neutrally declared Yhmos while sitting down again, making everyone sans Kirito look at him in shock. "Go with them, Tomoe."

"Bu-but, Papa…!"

"If you think we're going to leave you alone with Onii-chan after all THAT, then you are…!"

"Girls!" The gamer shouted, adopting a firm tone that made both Yui and Leafa look at him surprised, everyone else's outbursts dying on their throats at the sound. "It's okay, I will catch up with you in a bit. Just go."

"But, Kirito-kun, he…!"

"He can't harm me at all, remember, Asuna? Don't worry and go, this will take no time at all." The boy assured them with a small smile, making the rapier-user frown but nod, then reach for Leafa's hand to drag the tense girl back with her, everyone else slowly following cue, but shooting looks of doubt back several times as they filled out of the room.

"…if anything happens, I'm beating you up before finding these guy's servers and blowing them up, Onii-chan." declared the blonde girl in the regalia as she and Asuna finally exited the room, the last of the group.

Once again, silence filled Astemeri's throne room, though it was a different kind than the one from before, a much sharper and dangerous one.

Yhmos finally broke it by asking the question Kirito knew he was going to.

"You have killed before, haven't you?" no answer was given, even as the boy remained silent. "…Sword Art Online, right?"

The gamer, for his part, just closed his eyes fiercely, the room around him being replaced by the sinister caves of Aincrad's 53rd Floor, the shouts of the Front Liners trying to reduce their enemies filling his ears even as the maniac members of Laughing Coffin fought on, unwilling to surrender until they died, which cost more than one good life before they could be stopped…

His own memories of the event were a blur of rage, fear and sword slashes. Two men had vanished forever from both worlds under his blade that day.

"…does it matter? I already gave you an answer. I'm not going to kill the 'Star Hunters'," the boy coldly affirmed as he turned to look at the cosmic entity with empty eyes. "They may be aliens, but they're still people, and they're not monsters…"

"And what if they threaten the balance of your world? Why if they start killing people to get to you? Destroying cities? Putting your entire planet at risk?" With each question he fired, Yhmos took a step closer to Kirito, and it was only his sheer and unnatural willpower that allowed him not to flinch under the elder's gaze. "You may be a warrior because of whatever you went through in SAO, Kazuto, which is how you could fight and survive against whoever attacked you on Christmas…but you're not a soldier. The meager enhancements that my powers are given you and the primitive way in which you use them right now can only get you so far against members of the Universal Alliance, and that could spell doom not only for you and those you care about but also everyone in the…!"

"SHUT UP!" The boy's defiant roar reverberated throughout, roughly pushing Yhmos' avatar backward and making the surprised 'old man' retreat, even as the boy's image distorted for an instant, the virtual avatar being replaced by a distorted shadow with 12-pointed stars for eyes. "You think I don't know that?! I have known how absurdly big of a deal these powers are since the moment you fucked up and left them within me! And for days I have been trying to not think about the worst that can happen if these damn invaders try to openly come for me! But… I'm not you. I'm not an eon-old megalomaniac alien-thing… I'm just a fucking teenager who likes to play videogames, who has a lot of emotional messes on his life, who likes to spend time with friends he never thought could get… I'm not… I can't…"

"…you… you really fear Death, don't you?" The great one whispered. After standing up, he looked down at the trembling gamer as he bit his lips and closed his fists. "…how many of your friends know you have killed?"

"…from those that know of all this, only Asuna. Klein, another SAO Survivor, knows it too, but that's only because they were there too… and…"

And they didn't kill anyone, was what he wanted to say. He didn't know if he should feel ashamed, that a part of him wasn't glad that they never had to go through such an experience, or if was just a normal human thing, like how he himself had repressed the memories and buried them to the depths of his mind, unwilling to think about them again.

It was also the only part of SAO that he had skimmed over when telling Sugu about it. Because he…

"You're scared of how they will react if they knew what you did," Yhmos stated without even bothering to ask, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I can't understand such a concept like you Earth humans do. Maybe because my first real interaction with your species was basically my 'daughters', which probably would be able to help you more than me. Not that I would truly bother, but… let me just give you an advice, boy: Don't let that fear consume you."

"…what?" Kirito whispered his reply as he looked back at the cosmic entity, only to see him staring at the room's immense ceiling, a far-away look in his eyes.

"To fear what they may think of you. To fear what you may be forced to do. To fear [DEATH]." For some reason, when the great one spoke that last word, the black-clad boy felt a shiver run down his back, as if he hadn't really 'pronounced' it, but more as if he had stated some dark and terrible truth. "Because that fear may lead to your end, and whether I like it or not, right now we all _need_ you. After all, I may have been called a 'God' by many and perhaps even look like that for your race…"

For a moment, the black-haired boy felt a strange fear as he saw Yhmos almost imperceptibly shiver, the Great One imagining 6 presences towering over him at the height of his power, like Titans before insignificant bacteria, all of them not 'ruling', like he did, but literally BEING Everything That Exists…

"…but there are things that even me and those stronger than me will always see the same you see us. And [DEATH] is but one of them…"

In the new and coldest silence that had filled the room since it was first created, Kirito saw with wide eyes how the form of the cosmic entity 'flickered', as if about to vanish for but an instant.

* * *

As the futuristic and alien-looking 'elevator' (Though it seemed more like a platform by how big it was) descended into the deepest levels of Astemeri Palace, a tense silence could be felt between all the females standing on it, clearly divided on two groups, one of them of just 3 girls while the rest were all together in another.

Unable to stand the depressing atmosphere anymore, Yui opened her more to say something…but the least person she expected to beat her to it.

"Hey, girls…? Sorry about how dad acted back there," Strea softly muttered without raising her gaze, making everyone's gaze shoot towards her, shock clearly mirrored in some of the teens' faces. "I mean, he sometimes doesn't really get how to interact with other people besides us, but… that doesn't mean he should have just started to argue with Kirito like that."

"…even if it was for a totally justified reason?" Sinon questioned with a low voice, making many eyes turn at her with utter shock.

"Sinon-san?!" Leafa asked with her eyes widened, as if unable to believe her words.

"Sinon?!" added Yuuki with her own shocked voice, her sister looking silently at their mutual friend. "Why would you…?!"

"Even then." Strea firmly replied and finally looked up, ruby eyes filled with a steel-like resolve meeting the sniper's own cold ones.

"…I see. You are truly being honest, then, and not just saying it for the sake of it." Sinon, without missing a beat, smiled, nodding softly as everyone around her released a sigh of relief/surprise they didn't know they had been containing. "Sorry about that, I didn't like the idea of someone saying that just for the sake of saying it…"

 **'In more understandable words, that's my partner's way of telling you all she cares,'** Hecate clarified with a cheerful tone, making the blue-haired girl blush and look away, the others surrounding her releasing several chuckles as she did so.

"…Strea-nee, you're really cool." An impressed Tomoe whispered while staring at her older sister, the mechanic arms of her 'backpack' moving along as if to express her awe.

"Heheh, and you just noticed it?" the MHCP-002 said jokingly while patting the bespectacled girl's head.

All the while, Yui was staring at the scene with a mix of fascination and wonder.

For a moment, the image of an excitedly cheerful girl that was a bit too loud and went around shouting cheers and talking non-sense was visible in her face, before being replaced by the smiling 'princess' in front of her. Still so much the same, yet at the same time much more mature.

When did her little sister grow up so much, she wondered? And why?

At that last thought, the image of a black-clad boy with twin blades at his back appeared on her mind, giving her a friendly smile, and she felt one on her own blossom on her face, finally aware of how the mood surrounding the group was once again relaxed, even a tad cheerful.

 _"That boy… he has quite the effect on people, uh?"_

"Wo-woah, this place is really big…" Silica muttered while walking to the platform's edge, putting a hand over the 'force field' that acted as glass walls would for the elevator to descend, Pina looking cutely from side to side too as she did so. "I mean, I knew it was very big because we have seen it from down there a couple times, but actually being inside…"

"It truly boggles your mind, how massive this place is, eh?" Lisbeth finished the younger girl's train of thought, making her nod softly as she stared at the alien constructs and strange floating 'crystals' that filled the outside of the area they were currently descending through. "Anything special in your mind to be thinking that, Silica?"

"…it's just that… well, it may sound silly or even childish, but, back there in the Throne Room, when Kirito-san said that to Yhmos…" Silica trailed off for a moment, her hands idly caressing her draconic friend as it flew off her head and into her arms. "I just realized that I would support his decision 100%, no matter what. After all… I would trust him with my life, every time, even if he didn't ask…"

Slowly, the young girl's mind remembered the form of 3 ape-like monsters breaking into polygons, the beings that had been about to kill her being replaced by a boy clad in black and with a blade on his hand, asking her crying form if she was okay…

"…heh… yeah, no, don't even think that, Silica. After all… I can totally get what you're saying." The pink-haired blacksmith softly replied to the smiling Silica, grabbing her hand as if to show support. "And I would say the same exact thing."

For her part, Lisbeth remembered falling down into the darkness, even as a quick figure in black jumped after her without hesitation, strong arms wrapping around her shocked body as he spun her around, taking the brunt of the fall himself to save her life.

"…uhm, so… the-there isn't really a specific 'Blacksmithing' mechanic in this game, right?" Silica quickly muttered with a nervous smile, apparently wishing to change the topic to something less 'personal' for them, so other things that may be uncomfortable aren't brought up. "Have you found anything you want to try out yourself?"

"To be honest… no, not really." With a sigh, the pink-haired girl shook her head, going along with the younger girl's subtle wish for the same reason and because she was truly a bit frustrated by the topic she had chosen.

Honestly, she really preferred ALO in that aspect, with its blacksmithing system being almost identical to that of SAO, just like she liked it, able to create and repair any kinds of weapons, to be one with her hammer as she forged a new piece of equipment that would become someone's faithful companion in battle.

It wasn't that Requiem Universus Online's 'crafting systems' were bad, she was sure they weren't, but all of them were 'spread out', very different ones, be it for specific types of weapons or combat vehicles, as part of the game's main objective of being 'as free as possible' for the players to develop their characters.

Of course, this meant that, one you chose a specialization, trying to pursue other ones when you were already leveling it up would be from impractical to outright damaging for your development. In other words, just like with the fighting style and weapons' skills, trying to be a 'Jack of All Trades' in the crafting aspect of RUO was a very dumb idea if you were planning to seriously explore the game.

"Nothing that catches your fancy like crafting weapons, uh?" Silica probed Liz with a sheepish look, probably realizing that she may have brought an annoying subject for the hammer user.

"Nah, it's not that. I mean, I guess I could try and become a hybrid-weapons mechanic of some sort, but it just doesn't draw me in like being a Blacksmith did back in SAO, you know?" Lisbeth smiled wryly at her friend and then looked to the side. "I guess I just can't find something here that really makes me… wish I could… build it…"

No one felt the need to question why Liz (who had been talking a bit too loudly during her last exchange with Silica) had stopped talking, as all of them were able to see it firsthand; the elevator-platform they were on had just arrived at their destination, the lowest level-area of Astemeri Palace.

The absurdly massive 'hangar' would normally have been enough to draw any normal person's attention, the vehicles of all kinds and sizes filling the sides of it, and even some strange platforms seemed especially dedicated to monitor (and seemingly even construct) them, being something that no one could ignore.

But in that same moment, all of that paled in comparison to the glorious golden machine floating in the middle of the massive area, its six golden wings spread open as the scimitar-like blade on its right arm hummed with untold power, the silver-white shield construct attached to the left forearm glowing and ready.

On cue, as if by an unseen signal, the 50 floating crystals surrounding it (Which the group of human girls recalled seeing en masse on the upper level they had just passed by) seemed to come alive, spinning through the air in impossible geometric patterns and shooting beams of raw energy towards the golden mechanical warrior, all of them at least 4 meters in diameter.

The 'small' (At least compared to the robotic knight) mechanic sphere orbiting around it seemingly stopping in place was apparently some kind of signal, for the next instant the mecha was moving through the air at impossible speeds, easily dodging or effortlessly sidestepping every shaft of energy as if it was nothing, moving closer towards the quickly retreating crystals.

Then, the machine's wings 'snapped' fully open and it _moved,_ so fast it seemed to blur out of existence on the eyes of the awed girls watching the scene.

One by one, every crystal attacking exploded into polygons, all of them cut perfectly in half or in precise angles through their structures, only the humming edge of a scimitar-like blade being visible for an instant before the golden blur once again vanished after another target.

And when the last one of the crystals had exploded… a sudden new beam of energy shot out of the cloud of dark smoke that the explosions had created, aiming straight for the back of the suddenly materialized golden mecha.

Not missing a beat, the impossibly graceful machine spun around, angling its shield just the right way to deflect the beam upwards towards the ceiling, where it impacted harmlessly against the Immortal Object, before the robot's drill-like shoulder pads started to spin with glorious power.

The last of the enemy-crystals, this one being even bigger than the mechanical knight itself, had just finished exiting the smoke when a MASSIVE beam of golden energy shot from the machine's chest plate, consuming the mob and making it explode into a giant shower of polygons, the golden warrior turning around in time for the explosion to frame its background in an extremely awesome way.

 **'…I think I'm in love.'** idly summarized Hecate a very…'creative' expression of how everyone was feeling at the unreal display.

Lowering his weapons as its wings slowly 'closed', the Exangel Metatron started to descend, towards a specific spot where 3 spectators could finally be noticed by the blinking teenagers.

"Yay, that was awesome, Ivy-nee! You rock!"

"She was so fast, and then so strong, and the all _'Fwwwosssh!'_ Badass!"

"Hmm, all systems check perfectly once again…yeah, I think this training session will be perfect for implementation in the next patch…and could the two of you please take this more seriously?! This work is important too, as Father and our older sisters are busy with…!"

"Haru-chan, take it easy with the twins, they're just very excitable." Yui spoke with a gentle tone while walking out of the platform (and the humans JUST realized they had been so engrossed watching them, making the aforementioned MHCP gasp in surprise and turn around so fast her Regalia almost threw her face-first to the ground, Yin and Yan at their side also blinking in surprise before smiling at seeing the newcomers. "I take that everything went all right with the tests down here?"

"Yuuki! Ran!" happily shouted the virtual twins while running part their eldest sister, each one tackle-hugging their fellow twins with happy smiles, which they returned eagerly. "You're back!"

"Hey now, don't say that as if we haven't seen each other in forever!" Yuuki joked while caressing the hair of the twin in black. "We have been talking lots and lots on the phone these last days!"

"I think they're referring to the fact that we haven't actually seen each other 'face to face' like this since Christmas, Yuu." Ran chuckled and, with a gentle motion, ruffled the hair of the white-clad twin, even as the rest of the girls sans Sinon walked past them, the sniper looking curiously at their interactions with the two youngest 'fully mature' MHCPs. "We missed you too, Yin, Yan."

"What… is that?" Leafa asked incredulously. It was what everyone had been thinking about, the glorious form of the mechanized golden warrior that had just landed. Asuna, Liz and Silica stopped just behind it.

"This baby, girls, is my proudest creation and also my favorite toy! Everyone, please give a bit round of applauses to the 'Singularity Breaker: Exangel Metatron', the strongest personal combat vehicle any player inside the game can use!" A young female voice from inside the machine proudly spoke, the chest of which opened to reveal the futuristic-looking cockpit from which the 3rd eldest 'daughter' of Yhmos was grinning at them. "Hi there, I'm Ivy! I have heard a lot about you, but this is the first time we actually meet!"

"I'm Eve," a nigh-emotionless voice added as the strange 'sphere' that had been orbiting around the Metatron stopped near the group and opened, letting them see the silver-haired little girl lazily sitting inside. "Forgive Ivy-nee, she talks too much."

"O-okay?" accepted an unsure Asuna while sweatdropping.

"He-hey, Eve, that's mean!" The pilot of the absurdly powerful robot added while rivers of tears comically fell down her eyes. "Ugh, why must you always be so cruel to me, my dear sister?! I only want some respect and love!"

"Yeah… as Eve said, Ivy has issues," Strea explained with an awkward tone while walking closer to the group. "So, as Yui-nee said, everything seems to be working perfectly?"

"Hai, Strea-neesama! With this last test, we can safely release the Exangels Patch!" Haru saluted, her form radiating with pure, powerful pride, looking towards her 'role model' with a beaming expectation. "It will be done and implemented after this weekend!"

"Heh, good job, Haru, everyone!" The second oldest MHCP approved, making the Regalia user blush happily at hearing the praise.

"Wait…those things are going to be in the game? And a player will actually be able to go around in them?" Asuna's voice was clearly reflecting what most of the sane people in the room were thinking, even as she gazed towards the imposing form of the strongest Exangel Unit. "I-is that wise?"

"Eh, don't worry, there are even stronger and bigger things we have planned to include in the future, but none of those will be usable outside special battlefields or by just one player." Ivy waved Asuna off with a carefree look, the humans gaping at her because of her announcement.

"She may not look like it, but Ivy's 'title' isn't just for show. She is, in fact, the one that designed and programmed every single 'machine' in Requiem Universus Online," Yui revealed with a big smile, making Asuna and Leafa's heads to shoot her way in shock, even as Yuuki and Ran released awed sounds while staring at the now blushing AI. "We used Papa's notes and explanations of his universe to create most of the lore and how everything would look like, but it's not as if he himself was an expert on most of these things, given that he always…you know, existed 'above' it all. Most of us helped built, make, function and program at least one full system that works in the game, using his notes as guides…"

"We took care of the Mystery System!" Yin chirped with a big smile, raising a hand to the air and moving her fingers in a strangely specific pattern, the air warping around it as tendrils of light gathered on her open palm and took the form of a phoenix of energy, which flew over the heads of the gathered females. "I and Yan programmed and designed most of the basics daddy told us about, then got creative with our own!"

"Like this!" the other twin cheerfully before turning around and raising both hands, closing them as strange sigils spun around her closed fists before exploding as she opened them, a twisting and spinning blast of roaring black and red energy emerging from her and turning into a strange 'arrow' of raw power, which flew all the way to the titanic hangar's other side and blew up what seemed like a transport ship. "Cool, eh? Of course, right now there is still a long way before any normal player can do anything like that, but…"

"Can one built it?" the unexpected question coming from Lisbeth not only interrupted Yan's speech, but also made everyone look at her in surprise, but the pink-haired girl's gaze never moved away from where she was staring fixedly at Ivy, an almost unnerving glint in it. "That thing you're riding…can we players built something like it?"

 _'Can I?'_ was clearly the implied question in the girl's words.

"Liz-san…?" questioned Silica with surprise while staring at her friend, even as Pina made a sharp sound at the sight.

Silently, the MHCP-003 stared towards the hammer-user, an analytical look in her tomboyish face as she did so, before grinning fiercely as she apparently found something she liked, before looking right at where Eve was still sitting on her Magne-Sphere.

Looking back at her sister from where she had been staring at both Liz and, for some reason, Silica, the silver-haired little girl nodded slightly.

"…yes, you can. Want to learn how?"

Lisbeth's grin was so big it could have almost split her face. Most people in the room thought it was a bit scary.

Watching from just behind the two pairs of twins, Sinon shook her head in a mix of shock and disbelief.

 _"Is it me or I am somehow the sanest person in this room?"_ mentally questioned the slightly desperate sniper.

 **'Hey, that's offensive partner! I like to think my sanity is pretty good too, thank you very much!'** mentally replied the living alien suit with which she was fused with annoyance.

The blue-haired girl took that as an affirmation.

Whatever further shenanigans the group was about to do, though, were interrupted by a sudden flash of energy a bit over 10 meters above them, making the girls blink and look up in time to see a screaming Kirito falling down headfirst, crashing in a way that would have been from cripplingly painful to deadly if this wasn't a virtual world.

"Kirito-kun!/Onii-chan!" shouted Asuna and Suguha in unison while rushing towards him, the blonde girl obviously arriving first thanks to her Regalia's boosters.

"…damn old bastard…teleported me like that on purpose…" complained the gamer while his adoptive sister/girlfriend tried to help him stand up, only to realize that it may be a tad too difficult to do with the armored hands she currently had over her own, which forced her to let the chestnut-haired rapier-user do it instead. "…oh, hey, everyone! Sorry about that entrance, I just…finished talking with Yhmos, so he told me would send me where you were and…here I am."

"Ahahahah, dad truly has some weird sense of humor, eh?" Strea tried to wave it off while bouncing to Kirito's side and smiling at him, not really convincing her or anyone else.

She also didn't seem to notice how Haru's eyes narrowed dangerously at her action, the Regalia-using MHCP glaring towards the black-clad boy.

"So that's the thief of father's powers… the Kirito Strea-neesama is always talking about… who does he think he is? He's not worthy of her attention… no one is… no one except…"

"Ehm…should we tell her she's 'muttering' a bit too loudly?" asked a sweatdropping Yuuki while staring at Haru's back.

"Nah, leave her be, she will be back to herself the moment Strea-neechan talks to her." Yin waved it off while turning around, pointing at a faraway part of the hanger with a grin. "Instead, now that Kirito-niisan is here, let us focus in why we truly brought you here!"

"…wait, how did you just call hi…?"

"BEHOLD!" Yan shouted while waving what seemed like an absurdly complicated Mystery, interrupting Ran's question in favor of seemingly levitating something BIG over to them, the eyes of every human in the room widening in surprise. "The Aurora Prime!"

It was a space ship. That was the first thing that came to any normal person's mind after seeing it.

The lance-shaped craft, however, was too beautiful to be described as just that, twice as long as a 16-wheels truck and half as wide as a one, while its height was just slightly less than the Exangel Ivy piloted. Colored in black and silver, the ship's paint was almost as reflective as a mirror, unlike the pristine windows it had at its sides and on the upper front, so transparent they almost didn't seem to exist.

No apparent propulsion system or wings seemed visible on the craft, though, and besides the strange 'supports' it had on its lower and rear parts, it seemed to lack any real way of staying in the air once Yan's mystery let it go and deposited it just beside the group.

"Woah…that's one cool aircraft." whispered Sinon as she walked forward and touched the side, feeling the cold and smooth texture of the strange metal.

 **'The Star Hunter was something impressive beyond words, yes, but this thing is truly gorgeous for its size.'** commented Hecate while also staring admiringly at the Aurora.

"You got one little thing wrong about it, though. It's not an aircraft." spoke Yui while walking towards where Kirito was standing beside Leafa and Asuna, staring with his own awe at the ship. "It's a **Space** craft."

A sudden silence seemed to fill the minds of every human in the area at the oldest AI's smiling declaration, even as the MHCPs watched them with different degrees of excitement (Or an annoyed glare towards a certain gamer, in Haru's case).

Finally, though, it was a trembling Leafa who was the first to break the silence.

"Wait…does that mean we…you…?"

"This is both a gift and a petition, to be honest, but it may also help your minds to relax a bit from the problems we're facing, so…" trailing off, Yui looked towards the beautifully designed vessel before extending a hand towards the shocked Kirito, a cube-like object with what seemed like a red and futuristic key inside floating inside it. "Want to Beta Test the Spatial Exploration Expansion?"

Little more than 10 minutes later, Shinozaki Rika took off her AmuSphere and stared towards her room's ceiling for a moment with an excited smile before sitting up and heading towards the small desktop she had beside her bed to grab her phone and activate some important alarms. After all, she didn't want to forget she had to Log In again in some hours to 'learn' from Ivy (Keiko had even offered to be there for 'moral support', so that was a plus).

Also, tomorrow they were going to fly through space. How many teenagers could say that (even if it was inside a virtual world)?

Of course, Lisbeth would always be a blacksmith at heart, and she sure as hell wasn't going to stop doing such in ALO just because she was going to learn something new, but that didn't mean she wasn't excited about the prospect of learning how to make one of those 'Exangels'.

Ironically, if anyone had told her 3 years ago that she was going to feel giddy over the idea of constructing her own mecha, she would have told them to stop watching so much anime.

Even so, the brown-haired girl couldn't deny that 'special feeling' she had felt when she saw the golden machine's destructive yet grateful movements, like a beautiful angel of death, just like she couldn't deny what she still felt for the boy that was, in many ways, the center of all the current madness in her and everyone else's life, both for good or bad.

Idly, the young woman (she was already 17, so she deserved to be called as such!) stared at her empty right hand and frowned while concentrating, feeling the 'mark' located on the back of it warming and glowing with blue-white light.

A hammer materialized on her hand, which closed around it with practiced easiness, raising the impossibly created and non-descript weapon into the air to analyze it with critical eye.

It was bland and featureless, just a mass of 'metal' (Or whatever the hell it was supposed to be) shaped like a hammer, with just enough detail to not seem totally smooth. She knew already that it would be like that, as she had tried it a couple times after seeing Asuna and Suguha doing the same with their own weapons that day on the bar, but the blacksmith in her soul couldn't help but grumble in annoyance at the poor excuse of a weapon.

Rika knew it was thanks to the fact that they didn't really have 'powers' like Kazuto did, but that they were 'drawing' Cosmic Energy from him through their Anchor Links and turning them into something that their minds recognized and understood easily. Even so, it was something too shoddy to really work if, let's say, aliens attacked them out of the blue, as the gamer had clearly told them how his and the twins 'projected weapons' had ended up breaking easily after their short skirmish in the hospital.

Plus, looking at it made her feel just a tad jealous of the rest. After all, even if it was unconsciously, Keiko had managed to use her 'borrowed powers' to bring Pina into the real world, while Asuna and Suguha had gotten Flight and Super-speed when they had rushed to protect Kazuto the other day. She, on the other hand, was the only one of the 'First Anchors' to not have shown any other real 'ability' beside projecting that unstable and ugly-looking excuse of a weapon.

"Ugh… what the hell am I even complaining about?" muttered Rika while shaking her head and looking at a small, fake necklace (which she had never really tried on) sitting on her desk, idly raising her hammer while aiming at it. "I mean, it's not as if I can just hit materials with this in real life to…"

The hammer descended and crashed against the necklace… and Shinozaki Rika froze when, instead of it shattering or being crushed, the telltale _'Clank!'_ of a hammer striking an anvil echoed inside her head, together with a hauntingly familiar glow.

Slowly looking down, the brown-haired girl realized the nondescript hammer was suddenly glowing, just like the necklace was.

Frantically, the blacksmith quickly slammed the hammer down again, falling from confusion and shock into a familiar and long-practiced rhythm, the disbelief and surprise in her face slowly turning into trembling excitement the more times she swung her hammer.

A minute later, the rest of the Shinozaki family (currently sitting in the living room watching a movie) almost jumped out of their seats when they heard a joyous shout of _'Yahooo!'_ coming from the girl's room, before exchanging blinking looks and shrugging.

At least Rika seemed to be in a much more cheerful mood than ever since her rehabilitation from SAO ended…

* * *

 _The beautiful sky over the strange and alien-looking palace was certainly amazing, but it paled when compared to the endless sea of colors that were the flowerbeds of the inner gardens._

 _And through one of them, a little girl with pink hair ran laughing, a small tiara made of shining metal on her head as her red regal dress was childishly dragged through the plants, the small bone-tail that grew from her backside waving happily through the flowers._

 _Not far from her, a tall woman with a crown and the same shade of hair watched on with a smile, her green eyes and overall appearance seeming very human-like, except for the fact that her skin was so pale it almost seemed white, the bright-blue and very decorated dress she wore contrasting with it in a very peculiar way._

 _"Ah…! Look, mommy!" happily called the little girl while pointing at a strange-looking green bird with 4 wings and a golden beak, staring at her from a nearby tree. "It's so pretty!"_

 _"Yes, it certainly is, Elysium." answered the woman while caressing her daughter's head, Elysium giggling and looking up at her as she did so, her eyes the same shade as hers but with the pupils shaped like diamonds._

 _"…hey, mommy?" suddenly called the little girl while seeing the bird flying away. "When will daddy come back?"_

 _"I… don't know, Elysium." muttered the woman with sadness in her tone. "He would have returned sooner, but then the unexpected call for a conjunct meeting between several systems' governors and commanders came… even so, I'm sure he will return as soon as he can."_

 _"…mommy… I want to be like daddy."_

 _"Wha-what?!" half-shouted the shocked queen, staring at her daughter as if unable to believe her words._

 _"Because… daddy is a hero that protects us and everyone from the bad things out there, right?! I want to be like that… I want to help him protect you and everyone here, in our world!" Something seemed to shine in the little girl's diamond-shaped pupils as she said those words, turning to look at her mother with determination one wouldn't expect of a child, but still filled with childish idealism. "That's why I want to be like him!"_

 _"Oh… Elysium…" whispered the alien woman with a small grimace, before offering her daughter a sad smile as she touched her head. "That's sweet of you, but I don't think…"_

 _"Queen Iridium!" suddenly called a new voice, making the surprised pair turn around to see the form of an armored guard stopping near them, catching his breath as he clearly had run with urgency towards them. "Your majesty… Admiral Revenant has come back."_

 _"Daddy is back?!" half-shouted Elysium with bright happiness, clearly not noticing the grave mood surrounding the guard. "Yay! I need to ask him…!"_

 _"Elysium." silenced Iridium with a stern tone, making her daughter freeze and blink in confusion at the series tone in her mother's voice. "…did Orion say what they decided?"_

 _"He did, your majesty… it seems they're talking about forming an Alliance…"_

 _"Alliance? Between who?" questioned the queen with sudden apprehension._

 _"Between everyone…"_

 _The image dissolved into darkness, quickly being replaced by a new one. This time, it seemed like some sort of training room, and the same girl from before could be seen, panting on the ground and trying to catch her breath, tears threatening to spill from her eyes._

 _Despite being clearly older than before, she still could barely be called a teenager. If one compared her with a human she would probably be 12 or 13…_

 _"Stand up, Elysium." called out a stern and commanding voice, the form of a tall and broad figure clad in golden armor watching into the room through what seemed like reinforced glass. "You asked me for training, and I warned you how it would be endless times before accepting, despite how against it your mother was. If this is the extent of your resolve then it would be better if I sent you back with her. You were born to be a princess, not a soldier, daughter."_

 _"…I'm also… your daughter… Commander Revenant…"growled the girl as she shakily stood back, the light combat-suit she wore seeming to weight a ton for her tired muscles, even as she closed her fists and grit her teeth as she raised her arms once again. "I_ will… _prove my worth to you!"_

 _"…very well."_

 _And at the next moment, 6 robotic figures fell down from the ceiling once again, the combat drones twice as tall as Elysium as they towered over her and raised their own mechanic fists._

 _With a scream, the exhausted little girl charged at them once again…_

 _The scene dissolved and changed once again, this time showing the older and matured form of Elysium, now probably in her mid-teens, the girl staring silently at the full-body magenta armor-suit she was wearing, her gaze moving to the helmet at her side after a couple seconds of hesitation._

 _When the room's door opened, revealing the imposing figure of Orion, the girl turned around in surprise just as she finished closing her helmet and making sure no part of her hair had been left out, her tail almost shooting out of the armored part of her back made to protect it._

 _"Fa… I mean, Admiral Revenant, sir!" saluted her as she adopted a military posture and looked up at his helmet-covered face. "Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant, just promoted and reassigned from Sector 45-Teta!"_

 _"…welcome to the Star Hunter, Captain. Your reputation despite your short time in active service of the Alliance is astounding, I'm sure we won't regret having you onboard." answered the admiral while giving her a small nod, diamond-shaped gazes meeting as red faced green. "…unofficially… I'm proud of you, Elysium."_

 _The rustle of Orion's mantle had already vanished from the hallway outside the door when the girl came out of her shock, an almost childish smile blossoming in her face for an instant before she adopted a more serious look and headed out, towards her first briefing with the rest of the ship's officers._

 _She had to make a firm and upstanding impression, after all…_

"…has it really just been 4 Mega-Cycles? It seems like a lifetime ago…" whispered Elysium Syrom Revenant while opening her eyes from where she was standing, the sight of Earth's sky and the weight of her battle-claws on her arms greeting her. "Father… mother…"

"Captain Revenant?" came Flint's voice from just behind the alien girl, who glanced back to see the droid's hesitant form standing just outside the 'clearing' in the forest she was in. "I came to inform you as soon as we had a timetable drafted, as you ordered…"

"Ah. Thanks, Flint." nodded the captain while fully turning towards him, her tail slowly returning inside the armored cover in the back of her suit. "So, what do the numbers say? When will the plan be viable?"

"Without rushing things to make sure we stay undetected as best as we can, 2 star-cycles, 3 at most." spoke the droid with an even tone, his optical sensors never stopping scanning the… 'mess' that was the surrounding area.

"Three Earth 'days', then, eh?" whispered Elysium while looking to the heavens once again, her pink hair moving at the soft breeze before she closed her eyes and started walking towards Flint, passing him and continuing back towards the camp. "It will have to do, I guess. The extra-time may be beneficial to me, though. So much time inactive has made me a bit rusty…"

"Whatever you say, Captain Revenant…" muttered the droid while turning to follow her.

Behind him, more than 800 meters of forest in a vaguely circular shape were _shredded_ to bits, trees, rocks and anything else cut apart everywhere and even crushed at some points, the earth itself scarred as if some kind of deadly hot blade had cut through them as if they were butter.

The alien girl hadn't been there alone for even 5 minutes.

"…whatever you say."

On the dark side of the moon, floating aimlessly through the void, the figure in cracked golden armor twitched.

At the edge of Reality, an almighty form of kaleidoscopic colors suddenly manifested himself, a vaguely humanoid shape being recognizable as 'he' stared towards a certain point in the Multiverse.

 _[Well then…that's not good. Let's hope none of the Others tries to mess with this…]_

And with that declaration, [DESTINY] vanished once again, lest his presence be detected by one of his older 'sisters', or worse, his oldest 'sibling'.

He wasn't supposed to be meddling directly with Universal affairs anymore, after all…

* * *

 **Lesson 9** **:** _Beware the Princess' claws. They're way sharper than they look._

* * *

 **Next Lesson** **:** _Warrior vs. Soldier_

* * *

 **Omake: Star Hunters' Log 5**

 _Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant_

Youngest Military Officer in the history of her world, also one of the fastest-rising ones in the Universal Alliance, going from Infantry Soldier to Captain of the Float in a Nebula-Class Battlecruiser in barely 4 Mega-Cycles.

Captain Revenant was both famous and infamous through the Alliance, more than once accused of using the influence of her parents (Queen Iridium Paylin of Yurandi and Admiral Orion Caius Revenant) to ascend quickly in the ranks. However, these claims have been proven false time and time again: Elysium Revenant has never once received any dishonest support from her parents (Her mother was even strongly against her joining the ranks of the Alliance in the first place), is a true prodigy in combat, and has a noticeable degree of talent as a commanding officer.

Even more outstanding, though, is her nature as a Co **[CLASSIFIED: ALLIANCE SECURITY LEVEL OMEGA]**

 **Age:** 19 Human Years (Rough Equivalent)

 **Military Rank:** 1st Captain of the Float

 **Main Abilities:** Officer Class Battle Suit. Retractable Spade-Tail (Inherited from her father's race, tougher than steel and faster than the normal eye can follow at top speed). Advanced and Specialized Training in Melee Combat. Con **[CLASSIFIED: ALLIANCE SECURITY LEVEL OMEGA]**

 **Weaponry:** Twin Adamantine-Blade Claws _'Crimson Reapers'_. Reloadable Warp-Belt (1 Charge). Tactical Long-Range Star-Shooter. Core of **[CLASSIFIED]**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And there, that's done! Another chapter bites the dust! (…sorry, I was watching Jojo earlier and… eh, forget it XP)

Well, there you have it! A bit less of Kirito and the gang shenanigans in this chapter, but it was mainly one to set the big 'explosion' about to come. Next chapter, the event that will mark the end of the 'second arc' of this mad story will start, ladies and gentlemen! Things are about to get out of control big time, for everyone involved…

Also, hope you enjoyed seeing a bit more of Yhmos and Yui's crazy sisters! Some foreshadowing here and there, especially with Liz. Open your eyes, for things revealed/teased in this chapter will become relevant for the 3rd and last arc of this fic, and you can bet they will be crazy epic… I hope :P

And I hope the small look into Elysium's character and past was good enough for you, she's also an important part of the setting and crazy conflict about to come. I'm not the best when it comes to OCs, but I like to think I did at least a decent job in portraying her… I hope? You tell me OxO!

Okay then, that's all for now, folks. See ya all next time, which will probably be around Christmas! So, in case I'm late, I wish you all some happy festivities :)!

Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	12. Chapter 10: Warrior vs Soldier

Hello there, everyone! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all :D!

Well, with this, it has finally been a bit over a year since I started writing SAO fics. They say time flies when you're having fun, but still, woah. Thanks a lot to you all that have been reading my crazy stories since the beginning, and also to you all that came along the way. You're the best :3

Also, this story has gotten over 35000 views and surpassed the 400 followers! I can't believe it, is certainly something I didn't expect from this little project when I started it while finishing OPG. Again, thank you all for this :)

Now then, without more delay, let's get on with this! I don't know about you and me, but Kirito and company certainly are going to have a very crazy New Year's Eve…

Enjoy!

 **PS:** Chapter currently Un-Betaed, sorry for the trouble ^_^

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Warrior vs. Soldier**

 **December 29h, 2024. Authea, Requiem Universus Online. Beyond the Sky, 11:00…**

Kirigaya Suguha, 'Celestial Swordswoman' Leafa in that moment, found herself wondering if she should be feeling as happy as she was.

After all, her life and that of those around her weren't exactly normal or in the best of times. The threat of murderous aliens that may or may not unleash the metaphorical Apocalypse on their world aside, there was also the matter of she and her adopted brother not being quite human anymore, and how they were hiding it all from their parents (With their father being at home for the first time in forever). Not to mention the other thing they were hiding from them, the not-so-innocent feelings and the subsequent relationship that had bloomed between them among the madness of Cosmic Powers and Alien Gods.

Also, there was how she had become friends with 3 of his brother's SAO friends, all of them girls that were in love with him as well, and that she was pretty sure still were even after the 'debacle' of their situation had stabilized and been explained. Hell, she could even say that she and Asuna were getting along better than she had with any other friend she ever had in her whole life (And she secretly suspected the older girl felt the same way)! What kind of girl did that with the one that was by all accounts her greatest romantic rival and a possible threat to her relationship?! Anyone with common sense or even remotely normal should be a wreck of nervousness, worry, hysteria and maybe even a bit of sadness!

And yet…she didn't feel any of that.

Quite the opposite, as she stared out of the 'window' at the seemingly endless void filled with shining 'dots' with a look of wonder on her face, the young kendoka could only think of how much greater than ever her life was.

She was in love, and her dearest person loved her back. She had amazing friends that were closer to her than she could ever have imagined, Asuna most of them, and she didn't find anything wrong with it. Hell, even Yuuki-chan, Aiko-chan and Sinon-san, despite how little they had known each other, were starting to warm their ways on the heart of their crazy group, and the last one proved that it wasn't anything their 'Anchor Link' was forcing them to do, as a part of her had at one moment feared.

And also…she was probably the closest to her wildest dream in that moment that she had ever thought she would be, as she fantasized about it while flying through ALO's skies what seemed like a lifetime ago, but in truth had been little more than half a year.

After all, while it may not be herself doing it but the craft they were in, reaching out and touching the observation window of the Aurora Prime, Leafa felt as if she was just a step away from truly touching the stars.

"Beautiful…"

"Isn't it?" agreed a familiar voice even as the young kendoka felt someone softly hugging her from behind, Kirito's face pressing against the back of her head.

"Ah…Onii-chan…" whispered the blonde girl while closing her eyes in content for a moment, a notorious blush spreading through her face. "Weren't you trying to learn how to drive the ship…?"

"Yeah, but I decided to let Yuuki and Sinon try it out after getting the basics down, they looked really eager for it, even if the latter hid it well. And given that we didn't go wildly out of control after the first 30 seconds of them in the controls, I decided to come looking for you." explained the gamer while letting go of his adoptive sister and softly squeezing her hand, both teens smiling at each other before once again looking out of the window. "…is everything you dreamed about?"

"No...it's even better. You weren't at my side when I dreamed of flying through the stars for the first time, after all." happily answered Leafa while slightly leaning onto him as her head rested on his shoulder, the boy happily enjoying their closeness. "And it almost feels as if I could just jump out there and start flying among the stars myself…"

"Well, one step at a time, okay? We are barely halfway between Authea and its satellite…which I can't even remember how it was called, to be honest, and that's about how much this 'Beta Area' is right now." pointed out the black-haired boy while smiling at her again. "Maybe, in the future, they will get a full update that allows you to do that with your regalia…"

"That would be awesome…but for now, I think this is more than I could have ever asked for." whispered the blonde girl as she squeezed his hand a little tighter, Kirito easily realizing she meant more than just the breath-taking view of outer space and even, when they did an unexpected turn, of the whole planet of Authea seen from out there. "…I love you, Onii-chan."

"…I love you too, Sugu." replied the gamer as their gazes turned to meet, feeling his heart incredibly lighter at the easiness in which he could now say it.

Slowly, both of them drew closer, their eyes closing as the distance separating their lips became…

"Hey, Kirito-kun, Leafa-chan, are you he…?" stopping in place upon entering the observation area, Asuna found her cheeks flushing a scarlet red as she saw both siblings frozen on the spot, their lips inches apart and their eyes shooting at her as she looked away. "Ah…"

"A-Asuna?!" shouted Kirito while taking a step away from the young kendoka, his own face gaining an unhealthy crimson color.

"So-sorry, I-I didn't mean to interrupt you! Just, uhm, w-we got a message from Yui-san saying we should start heading back, that they got enough data to start polishing the Bugs and such and…uhm…"

"I-it's okay, Asu-chan, thanks for telling us!" cheerfully replied the blonde girl with just a small stutter, seemingly unaffected by the interruption. "…woah, we have already been over an hour up here? Time surely flies when you're having fun…le-let's head back to bridge, okay?"

"Oh, ye-yes, let's do that…" quickly nodded the rapier-user while spinning around and walking away with quick steps, definitively not trying to run away from the scene.

"Wait for me!" happily called out Leafa…before turning around and quickly giving the still shocked gamer a quick peck on the lips, winking at him as she rushed after her friend. "Let's go Onii-chan; last one has to help mom with dinner tonight!"

The black-haired boy still needed 5 seconds before fully processing what just had happened, his gaze still fixed upon the door through which both girls had disappeared while his hand slowly went up to his lips.

"…okay…I'm definitively not imagining how WEIRD that is…" muttered Kirito as he started to walk towards the bridge too, his mind spinning with the thoughts that had been 'bothering' him lately.

Sugu and Asuna had become friends. _Really_ good friends. That was supposed to be a good thing, right?

Of course, what truly bugged him in an almost scary way in which both the girls closest to him had bonded, especially because it had seemingly begun after they _almost killed each other over him._

If anyone were to observe how the young kendoka and the former sub-commander acted with each other, they would probably think the girls were lifelong friends that had befriended for years through many and very close interactions. Instead of two people that had known each other for less than a month and that had almost murdered each other with swords summoned through cosmic powers, and that were in love with the same boy (Had been, in Asuna's case? God, he hoped that was the case or…).

Honestly, most people would think the gamer was being paranoid and that he should be happy about such a positive, if strange, development, but, at this point in his life and after everything he had gone through, could anyone blame Kirigaya Kazuto for being like that? As far as he knew, this was an indirect and unexpected reaction of the Anchor Link being applied on humans, or maybe something that had happened because of the girls' fight, or…

Kirito's overly paranoid thoughts were harshly interrupted when he felt the entire spaceship suddenly take a sharp and unexpected turn sideways, making him squeak as he lost his footing and slammed against the wall, even as the ship kept inclining towards an unnatural angle.

Using his honed reflexes and skill to stabilize himself, the gamer was able to stand halfway between the ground and the wall of the hallway before rushing towards the door leading to the control bridge in time to witness a bizarre scene.

Basically, every one of his friends (Maybe just acquaintance in Sinon's case?) trying to hold to something for dear life and failed as they were sent flying around because of the spaceship's crazy movements, most of them screaming even as a teary-eyed Yuuki held the controls for dear life and moved them crazily from side to side.

"ImsorryImsorryImsorry…!" endlessly repeated the Multi-Sword Wielder as she kept making the Aurora go out of control, like e never-ending chant of guilt.

"Okay, Yuu, we get that you're sorry, but please let go of the controls!" pleaded Ran while trying to hold to one of the bridge's secondary seats for dear life.

"No! If she does that we're going to lose all control and burn or crash on atmospheric reentry!" shouted Sinon while trying to keep herself stable by 'stabbing' Hecate's rifle mode through one of the decorative handle-like parts in the back of the bridge. "Yuuki, stabilize it!"

"I-I don't know hooow!"

"Isn't that exactly why we are like thiiiiis?!" screamed Silica as she finally was unable to maintain her grip and went flying out of control, the ship now almost literally spiraling downwards as Pina cried out for her…and a pair of strong arms closed around her, making her eyes widen. "Ki-Kirito-san?!"

"Got you!" simply answered Kirito as he held the young girl bridal style and crash-landed against one of the now almost-vertical seats, ignoring her blushing face (And any implications behind it) in favor of looking towards the panicking girl on the pilot seat. "Yuuki, pull the third lever to your left all the way down; then drag the controls back as hard as you can!"

"Ro-roger that!" desperately shouted the youngest of the Konno twins while doing as he said no, not even questioning his order for an instant even as she pulled the lever and then used all her virtual strength to grip the controls and try to drag them towards her body.

For a fleeting second, even as Leafa and Asuna saw with wide eyes how the exterior of the ship seen through the windows became tinted by fire, it seemed that they were going to have to apologize to Yhmos' daughters about destroying their new ship on its inaugural trip…when the crazy spiraling stopped as the Aurora spun over itself and pulled upwards, everyone hitting the metallic ground awkwardly as Yuuki gasped and stopped pulling at the controls like crazy, the vessel stabilizing itself just at the atmosphere's edge.

"…okay…we really didn't need that…as part of our first space exploration experience…I think I'm regretting not doing like Liz and staying down until _'We had confirmation everything works perfectly'_." groaned Asuna as she shakily stood up, before blinking and deadpanning towards the two people closest to her, who were still on the ground. "…really, Kirito-kun? Can't you learn to land in a less awkward way?"

The girl's words came to be because, somehow, the gamer in black had managed to fully take the fall for Silica to ensure she wouldn't suffer any harm as if by instinct (Despite there had been no real danger or possibility to feel pain for her in this virtual world). In doing so, though, he had somehow managed to let the young girl with her face inches from his, their bodies pressed together as he held her close.

"Eh?" commented the boy while opening his eyes, looking with relief at Silica's frozen and crimson face. "Oh, you're okay, Silica. That's great." softly letting go of the paralyzed girl and standing up, looking as the gasping Yuuki finally let go of the controls. "Good job, Yuuki. You did it."

"I…I did…heheheh, tha-thanks for the advice…" muttered the young girl while raising a hand his way in greeting, before promptly catapult herself towards her sister and gripping her legs as if she was a deadline, almost making her fall down again. "Please, Aiko-nee, never let me near the controls of a vehicle again!"

"The-there, Yuu, don't worry…I wasn't planning on doing so even if you didn't ask." awkwardly smiled Ran with all the sincerity only a sister could put in such words.

Yuuki smiled as Asuna deadpanned their way while helping Silica stand up, Pina flying back to his master's head and confusedly trying to make her react.

"…wonder why Kirito-kun only attracts people that are so…?"

 **'Non-normal?'** politely asked Hecate while her partner finally recovered her from where she lay across the room, sending the virtual weapon an annoyed look at her words. **'What? It's just the truth, Shino! Besides, even you and I totally fall under that cate…'**

"Is everyone okay?!" suddenly asked Yui's concerned voice as the bridge's secondary screens came to life, the AI's face image soon replacing whatever every single monitor was showing, and unknowingly saving the weapon-possessing alien suit from a harsh tongue-lashing. "We just got a ton of warnings in our screens and then we detected the Aurora going all out of control!"

"You could say we just had some…driving problems." muttered Leafa while awkwardly scratching her head, even as everyone sweatdropped (Sans Yuuki, who was still firmly fixed on her sister's leg).

"Understatement of the century, but true nonetheless." sighed Sinon while looking back towards the bridge's main screen. "Also, I think you should tone down a bit on the realism of this future Update, and also tweak some things about your spaceships…"

"An Auto-Pilot would be good, together with an on-board guide to learn how to pilot it." recommended Asuna with surprising professionality (Despite the way in which she was shaking her head with an exasperated expression), remembering those present what her 'part-time work' had been lately. "And the internal gravity-control could use a boost in extreme situations."

"And don't recommend anyone wanting to pilot anything in real life to try and use any vehicle here as real practice." pleaded Ran while finally helping her twin stand again, after reassuring her endlessly she wouldn't be put on the driver seat again. "As in, actually put a warning for them not to do so in the game or something."

"Yeah, we would have all experienced a burning death and lost the ship if it wasn't for Onii-chan's quick-thinking!" happily commented Leafa while pointing to the boy, but blinking at hearing no answer and turning to look at him. "Onii-chan…?"

"…you know, Ran? That's really discouraging to hear for someone who actually wants to get a bike license soon…" glumly muttered Kirito while looking down, making everyone look at him with confused stares.

"But…you can fly…"

"And teleport."

"And bend space between to places to…"

"Yeah, I get it, but I can't do those things out in the open, okay?!" shouted the gamer with an embarrassed face, the girls actually having to hold back laughter at the unusual sight of the gamer's red face. "Plus, Yhmos theorized they may have found a way to track my powers' energy signal, and as I don't know how to control them well enough to protect me against that…"

"Yes, Onii-chan, we get it, no need to be so flustered over a joke." Comforted him Leafa while putting a hand on his shoulder. "Right, Silica?"

"…eh?" answered the aforementioned girl while blinking, finally aware of Pina biting one of her pigtails and hitting the other with his tail, having been trying to 'bring her back' from her shocked state from before for a while now. "Ky-kyaaa! What are you doing, Pina?!"

"Kyuru!"

"Wha-what do you mean my brain wasn't working?!"

 _"…how is it that I feel safer and more at home than ever before in my life around these lunatics?"_ philosophically wondered Sinon as she saw everyone chuckling at Leafa's embarrassed declaration, she herself cracking a small smile at this.

 **'Well, partner, either you aren't as -normal- as you used to think…or you're just realizing what having friends truly means!'** quickly finished Hecate through their mental link at feeling the sniper's eyebrow twitching in annoyance. **'And…I got to say that it's a very nice feeling…'**

"…yes, it certainly is." whispered the blue-haired girl with a small smile, before turning her attention back to Yui when she saw Kirito doing so.

"I think that's more than enough for a test run, don't you agree?" questioned the gamer while giving a quick glance around the bridge, receiving several nods in return and smiling as he looked back to the MHCP-001. "We're coming back down now…but we may take it for another round soon when Liz is available, if you don't mind."

"…heh, no, of course we won't, we already told you that ship is yours now." smiled back Yui as she waved it off. "Also, I think I can see now why Liz-san was so confident when she made that bet about you…"

"Wait, bet?" asked a confused Asuna while everyone exchanged confused looks. "What bet?"

"Oh, Haru said that she was sure you were all going to screw up and make the ship explode or something, then Liz-san got this challenging look on her face and said 'Wanna bet about that?'. So Haru accepted…and lost." Kindly explained Yui while looking to the side for a moment, as if she was looking at a sudden pop-up, and raising an eyebrow at doing so. "…in fact, I was really weirded out when she didn't go with you all up there. I know she wasn't as eager as Leafa-san or Kirito yesterday, but it was still surprising…"

"Yeah, now that you said it, the way in which she said that about wanting to take the chance to learn a bit more on how to build her own Exangel from Ivy-san was a bit strange…and she was acting strange since we Logged In too…" muttered Silica while putting a hand under her chin.

"Now that Silica-chan mentions it, since this morning, Liz did seem a bit…overexcited, I guess…?" added Asuna while looking to the side.

"Well, she DID spend most of the time with Ivy, asking more about the Exangel-Construction protocols and about her Metatron, but I could almost swear she seemed distracted by something…and you may be about to find out what." as she said the last words, the virtual girl pushed an invisible button and turned one of her personal windows visible before flipping it open towards the screen. "She just Logged Out and told me to tell you all this."

 _'Yui-chan, sorry but I have something really important to prepare, so I'm going. Please, tell everyone that can to meet me in the Dicey Café in one hour. Love, Liz'_

 _'PS: Give Kirito (Because I'm sure HE was the one who stopped the ship from exploding somehow) a 'thank you' kiss for me, okay? Thanks to him I won an entire supply of High-Grade parts from your overly aggressive little sister!'_

"…I think we didn't really need to read that last part." muttered a once again red-faced Kirito while facepalming, even as Asuna shook her head while muttering about her friend's antics and Leafa sighed. "…but well, this has certainly picked my curiosity. It's not often Liz has any 'surprise' prepared…shall we go see what that's about?"

"Uhm, sorry, but I can't go." apologized Sinon from her place on the controls (As, apparently, she had taken the wheel at some point to start moving the ship back to its temporary hanger in Astemeri Palace) while looking at them with a slightly…resigned (?) look. "I and the girls are going…shopping."

"We're going to get some much needed Christmas decorations for the apartment!" cheerfully exclaimed Yuuki with a raised hand, actually making everyone smile at how quick the girl's mood could be lifted. "I mean, the actual party is already over, but there is still New Year's Eve to come, and we want the first one we spent out of the hospital in so long to be as special as we can!"

"Plus, Sinon needs to get some cuter clothes." kindly smiled Ran in a very 'matter-of-fact' way, making the aforementioned girl stiffen on her seat. "Last time, when we went to get our own new wardrobes, she managed to get out of it with excuses, but we're not accepting a 'No' for an answer this time, heheh…"

"I-I already told you I don't need any of that!" shouted Sinon without turning to look at them, probably so as the rest couldn't see her burning face. "My clothes are perfectly fine!"

 **'To be honest, partner, even I that am basically a being whose function has been to be all-black and plain metallic -clothes- my whole existence, think that your tastes in dressing habits are a bit plain for a girl your ag…'**

"I DIDN'T ASK YOU, HECATE!"

Suppressing a small chuckle as the small 'discussion' between the twins, the alien suit and the sniper continued, Kirito turned around and looked towards the other girls that didn't live with him.

"What about you two? Are you coming?"

"I-I would love to, Kirito-san, but I can't…" sadly muttered Silica while caressing Pina's head. "I promised my dad I would help out with some of the preparatives for New Year's dinner…"

"Oh, yeah…better if you keep your promise, then, I'm sure Liz will understand." assured the gamer while putting a hand on the girl's head, making her beam happily at him even as he sweatdropped at remembering her overly-protective father, forcing himself not to gulp at imagining how the man would react if he saw him with his daughter right then or if he knew she l…aaand he quickly suppressed that train of thought again as he let go of Silica with a nervous smile, turning to look at his closest friend and fellow former Front Liner. "And you, Asuna?"

"…believe me, Kirito-kun, if it was for me I wouldn't miss an invitation from Liz for anything, but…ugh, I need to prepare for a fancy party me and my family are going to tonight." sighed the chestnut-haired girl as she shook her head, clearly showing her feelings on the matter. "Why can't we have a 'normal' New Year's Eve for once? I hadn't realized how superficial and boring these parties were until after SAO…"

"We-well, at least you're not spending New Year fighting for your life, so that's a plus, right?" nervously asked Leafa, eliciting, to her surprise, some strange reminiscent looks on her and her adopted brother. "Di-did I say something wrong?"

Last New Year's Eve in Aincrad…hadn't exactly been the best time for anyone. Between the messes that were the 5th Floor Boss and the 'birth' of Laughing Coffin…

"N-no, Sugu, it's nothing." answered back the black-haired boy while suppressing a shiver at remembering his first meeting with a sinister hooded man that always said _'It's Showtime'_.

"Ye-yeah, now that you say it, I think there could be worse ways to welcome a new year…" finally answered Asuna while shaking her head, before throwing a look a longing at their siblings. "Doesn't mean I wouldn't wish to celebrate it with any of you instead…"

That made both Kirigaya siblings subconsciously smile softly while also exchanged a slightly awkward glance.

Certainly, none of them (Not even Kirito, who had known her for almost two years), could really imagine what Asuna's 'fancy' definition exactly meant, as they only knew the girl by herself and their interactions on virtual reality, as the happy if frustrated girl or as the strong yet sometimes sweet former sub-commander. The idea of her actually being a 'rich girl' never fully registered on their minds, as the girl never really acted in the way both of them associated with such a concept. The fact that she mentioned she would very much prefer to spend New Year with them (Who only had planned a simple but special dinner with their parents, given that their dad was going back overseas in two days) than in an 'elegant party' with her family was both heartwarming and confusing. It made them wonder if the rapier-user perhaps wasn't really in the best terms with her family, or maybe just a specific member of it.

In that moment, in the middle of looking over some of the latest and, to her annoyance, qualified as outstanding by the people of RECT, reports of her daughter's part-time 'work', Yuuki Kyouko froze and sneezed loudly, sending the PDA she was using to the ground and breaking its screen.

The woman's cry of frustration echoed through the entire Yuuki manor.

Back in Authea, though, Sinon finally landed the Aurora on its hanger and, after saying goodbye to everyone (And even sending a half-hearted wave towards Kirito, which he considered a lot given their previous interactions), Logged Out together with the Konno twins, they eager to decorate and get her something 'cute' while their flatmate kept trying to think of a way to get out of that. After that and saying goodbye to Yui and Strea (Who promised they would review and fix all the Suggestions and Bugs they have made/encountered through the Aurora's Beta flight), Asuna and Leafa briefly joining forces with the oldest AI to stop her younger sister from giving a 'Goodbye Tackle-Hug' to a sweatdropping Kirito while Silica awkwardly stood beside him 'just in case', the teens said their goodbyes and Logged Out as a whole, promising they would come back tomorrow evening if nothing else came up

Standing from where he had been lying on his bed, Kirigaya Kazuto sighed softly as he took off his Nerve Gear, staring at the ceiling for a moment before smiling and standing up, heading to his closet for clothes to go out while already hearing Sugu changing in the next room (And suppressing any too 'dangerous' train of thought that those mental images could lead, as their parents were home).

They had to head out and see what 'surprise' thing Liz wanted to show them, after all…

* * *

Lieutenant Rarun-Konik oversaw with a serious look on his helmet-covered face as several technicians finished preparing the Aura Scouts with the necessary adjustments for the upcoming 'Operation: Power Off', even as ten platoons of infantry soldiers looked over every single of their weapons and equipment just behind him, making sure everything was in order. The tension in the base camp of the 'Star Hunters' had never been higher.

Of course, given that they were risking the highest stakes since they arrived at that planet in their success, this was only natural.

Even in their best 'predicted' (Between magicians' spells and technicians' simulations working together) scenario, they would probably end up losing most of their Aura Scouts even if they succeeded, which more than likely would lead to a confrontation against the ignorant humans, but that wouldn't really worry the officer if it came to happen, as they would have achieved their objective and rid this Multiverse from the unspeakable threat that was the Tyrant. At best, they would go down in a blaze of glory before blowing themselves and all of their tech up, to make sure none of the Earthlings got it, as they would more than likely use it for even father destruction and conflict.

…there was also the worst-case scenario, though. That in which they failed, all the soldiers actively participating on the Mission dead and the Tyrant managed to recover enough power to just wipe out all their survivors before they could even mount any counterattack, before proceeding to take over Earth and, from there, this whole primitive Universe.

They couldn't allow that to happen, no matter what…even if it cost this whole planet.

If worst came to worst, he would have to convince Elysium of using the…

"Everything in order, lieutenant?" called out a voice near the 4-armed alien, making him turn around to see the figure of Elysium Syrom Revenant walking towards him, a mix of seriousness and tense anticipation visible in her gaze, despite the helmet that was in the way. "Are all preparations done yet?"

"They will be in a little less than 10 Mini-Cycles, captain." informed the lieutenant while making a small military salute upon seeing her, before looking silently at her as she stopped beside him. "…also…permission to speak freely for a moment, Captain Revenant?"

"Permission, granted, lieutenant." answered the pink-haired girl while looking at the technicians working.

"…Ely…Hear me out, if something goes wrong tonight…"

"Nothing will go wrong, uncle Rarun." swiftly cut him off Elysium while staring directly at his eye, somehow seeming much more determined and threatening than him despite their clear height difference. "It CAN'T go wrong. One way or another, we're ending this tonight."

"…and that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." sighed Rarun while suddenly feeling very old, as if the weight of every Mega-Cycle he had lived was suddenly catching up to him as he stared at the daughter of a man he had considered a brother, that had called him 'uncle' since she was a little girl, now his superior officer and trapped in a situation from where none of them would get out alive, no matter what. "Elysium, if the plan fails…you will have to use the Core."

As if by instinct, the young woman's right hand shot towards her neck, stopping just short of touching her armor when she remembered at the last second that she was wearing her battle-claws, only for her eyes to narrow as she felt the warm weight of the small 'necklace', the jewel that hung from it bringing forth memories she hadn't recalled in a long time.

"…I won't." she softly whispered, making her fellow alien clench his teeth.

"Dammit, Elysium, this is no time to be sentimental! I know it's the last memento you have from your mother in this Fate-forsaken Universe, but that's not…!"

"That has NOTHING to do with this, lieutenant Konik." coldly interrupted him the captain, her diamond-shaped pupils suddenly reminding him of her father. "When my mother sent this to me, she did it as a sign of trust, as a sign that she finally accepted the path I had chosen to follow in my life, even if that had me away from her for probably the rest of my life…and because she trusted me to never use it. We're in a desperate situation, yes, but I'm NOT releasing a Galactic Spirit in an innocent planet, in a primitive _universe_ , unless I see with my own eyes the Tyrant having reached Planetary-Level in power at least!"

"But Ely…!" stopping mid-sentence, the 4-armed alien forced himself to remember their station again and adopted a more respectful even if urgent tone. "Captain Revenant, reconsider! If we were to fail tonight…"

"Then there would still be hope for those that stay behind here to do _something_! Maybe we would leave the Tyrant's vessel damaged enough to delay him for them to use the another weapon or strategy to finish him off! We DON'T know for sure, lieutenant…" as she said that, Elysium turned away, her eyes settling over the horizon and looking at a small group of birds flying over the forest's trees as she slowly used her right hand to point in her neck's direction. "But what I **know** for sure if that if I unleash this thing I'm dooming this entire Star System. Even if only this planet has life in it, as the humans apparently 'know', that's still almost 8 billion lives, not counting non-intelligent animals or similar lifeforms. And you're telling me I should just doom them all without exhausting every other option…?"

Lieutenant Rarun-Konik remained silent as he realized the girl's inner turmoil, wondering how long since they arrived there had she felt like that.

"Elysium…"

"I have seen my planet give planets for lost before, being forced to bombard them from space. You and I have participated in battles whose objectives sometimes involved the destruction of entire nations beside him, just so we could gain an edge in the war against the Tyrant's forces…but that was all for the sake of our Universe. That was all with world's that knew what was at stake, or whose inhabitants could no longer be saved." looking back at him, Rarun felt for the first time in a long time that he wasn't staring at the soldier that had gone through a metaphorical hell willingly just to stand beside her father, but at the laughing little girl that liked to run through the gardens of her mother's palace. "Our Universe is safe now. This 'mission' was something my father and us all took for ourselves, without the Alliances' consent. We could have been in our homes celebrating victory with our families by now, but we decided not to because we wanted to make sure everything was truly over. Even if the Tyrant truly can recover his full power and go back to our Universe, it will take thousands of Deca-Cycles before he can. All those we know and countless generations more will have lived and died by them."

"…and you're saying you want to risk the future of those just because of these Earthlings?" softly asked the 4-armed alien with an emotionless and judging tone.

"It's not about the humans in themselves. It's about denying innocents, even children, of an entire species a future without even trying first. I'm not forfeiting this 'Earth' until there is truly no other option left…even if that costs me my life." eyes closing, Elysium recalled the image of her parents once again, idly aware of how Konik released a deep sigh. "…feel free to recover it from my corpse and use it yourself if that happens, though. I just hope you take what I have told you into consideration before doing so."

"…I still think it should be me out there tonight instead of you."

"Heh…you know very well I'm the only one who has a 'chance' of pulling this off, uncle. Plus, I need you to stay behind and take charge in case the worst does happen. Someone needs to keep Moria in check." sharing a chuckle at the last declaration, the two officers exchanged one last look. "…I'm retiring to my room to rest. Call me when the preparations are ready, lieutenant."

"…as you order, captain." answered the lieutenant with no more hesitation.

As they walked away, none of them noticed (Or, most likely, didn't really consider as important) the form of the silent man idly leaning against one of the buildings halfway across the camp, out of earshot and not really looking in their direction.

Turning off the alien communicator, which he had been able to tweak enough to use as an amplificatory for distant 'sounds', Kayaba Akihiko grimaced before standing up.

Too many variables, too many things that could go horribly wrong despite what anyone wished…and no time at all to properly act.

Certainly, trying to save lives was much harder than imprisoning them inside a Death Game…

* * *

It was a little over midday when Kazuto and Suguha arrived at the Dicey Café, greeting Andrew as they entered before looking around and spotting Rika's impatient form sitting in one of the farthest tables, fidgeting with something in her hands as she constantly looked out of the window.

Exchanging a confusing look, the Kirigaya siblings shrugged and headed towards the brown-haired girls, her face shooting towards them and a bright smile appearing on it as soon as she saw them.

"Hey, Liz!" greeted the black-haired boy with a small smile. "What did you want to…?"

He was unable to finish talking as the eager blacksmith suddenly put a black material that he recognized as a fist-sized piece of coal in front of his face, one that, judging by her dirty hands, she had been holding tightly for quite some time.

"Kirito, quick, use your powers to turn this into a diamond!" demanded Rika with unusual seriousness…and eagerness.

"…eh?" was what came out of the blinking gamer's voice.

"She says she want you to go full alchemist on that piece of coal, boss!" 'helpfully' clarified Elucidator, his transformed form's 'head' peeking out from Kazuto's pocket.

"Wha…?! Luci-san, you're here?!" half-shouted the surprised Suguha, before shaking her head as the confused teen grabbed the coal and the phone-bot jumped to the table, the girl quickly looking straight at the excited Rika. "No, forget that! Li…uhm, Rika-san! What are thinking?!"

"Uhm? Oh, well, you see, diamonds are basically just ultra-high pressure allotrope of carbon, something which coal is mostly made of, and while the old claim of 'diamonds are just high-pressure coal' is complete bullshit, I thought Kirito's powers should be enough to bypass the…"

"Tha-that's not what I was talking about!" harshly interrupted the young kendoka, though she shushed her voice as best as she could so as not to alert Andrew over at the bar. "Why do you want Onii-chan to give you a diamond?! I know he has the powers, but don't you think that's taking advantage of him?!"

"Gasp, how could you, Lisbeth?!" added a 'scandalized' Elucidator…while filming the whole thing. "And with how much the Boss trusts you!"

"What?" blinked the seemingly surprised girl, before her face flushed as she stared at the serious-looking Suguha and the filming phone-bot. "Yo-you think I want the diamond for myself?! O-oh! N-no, Suguha-chan, you got it wrong, I just want to…!"

"Done." spoke the half-forgotten gamer while shoving his arm between both girls, palm open and freezing them in place as their eyes fell upon the THING he had in there. "And it was way easier than I thought! I mean, I know about the whole coal and diamond joke, also how it couldn't really work for real, but just concentrating in changing the way its elements were arranged was…!"

"Onii-chan…" stopped him Suguha with barely a whisper, her eyes unable to leave the peerless jewel in her boyfriend's hand. "That diamond is blue."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, well, I noticed, but I read somewhere that there can be some of that color too, so it's not stran…"

"And it's glowing." added Rika while shakily touching the thing, which was warm to the touch and emitted an otherworldly pale light, thankfully weak enough for Kazuto's body to block it and prevent their barman friend from coming over to ask what were they doing with 'something shining'.

"I…think that may be a side-effect of using Cosmic Energy on it?" awkwardly excused the black-haired boy even as his blacksmith friend grabbed the diamond with a shaky hand, everyone's gaze still fixed on what probably was one of the most precious and valuable gems Earth had seen in all its history.

Then, without hesitation, Rika put in on the table and SLAMMED a hammer that she brought seemingly out nowhere over it, Elucidator almost jumping as she did so.

Surprisingly, though, no sound like that of a hammer striking something seemed to echo, neither did the table break apart under the girl's inhumanly enhanced strength, but both paralyzed siblings could see how a bright white light covered the jewel and the top of the girl's hammer.

Recognizing the phenomenon as something he had seen several times before, the gamer let his eyes widen to its maximum and, without turning around, weaved and unleashed his by now standard Time-Altering Mystery upon more than half the café behind them, including the unaware Andrew, whose head had just started to move towards the source of the unnatural light. Now, unless the Mystery was undone before, it would take him almost an hour to finish moving his gaze towards them, likewise with anyone trying to enter through the front door.

Inwardly apologizing to Agil for that, Kazuto let once again his gaze fall towards Rika's concentrated expression, a mix of seriousness, determination, and purpose filling her excited gaze, a combination he had seen in her eyes before, back in the Floating Castle where they had been trapped.

Reaching through their Link, the black-haired boy connected with his dear friend and Anchor, the sound that reality was lacking finally making itself present, for it was echoing into her soul.

The melodious rhythm of hammer striking anvil, of a forge burning in the background. Sounds that made the famous blacksmith felt at home.

A gasp coming from Suguha made the gamer realize she had probably felt it too, and she slowly squeezed his hand as she lost herself in the strangely relaxing, even if solemn, 'melody' of the 'soul forging'.

"Sweet creators…" whispered Elucidator from where he was standing almost beside the 'phenomenon', watching how the diamond's form 'dissolved' and then changed shape, turning long and sharp, growing a handle and a guard…

Two more loud 'CLANKS!' echoed from Shinozaki Rika's, from Lisbeth's, soul at the same time her hammer came down, before the otherworldly light vanished in a shower of harmless blue-white sparks, the girl wiping sweat from her forehead as she let out a content sigh, the 'Anchor Mark' on the back of her hand stopping glowing as her hammer dissolved and she grabbed her creation, slowly and carefully raising it, like a mother with a newborn.

The One-Handed Sword wasn't beautiful...but _gorgeous_. It wasn't perfect, but _immaculate_. It wasn't magnificent, but almost _divine_.

All of it the same strange dark blue, slightly see-through, and yet clearly 'deeper' in the parts of the handle and the guard, as if only the blade was meant to allow its wielder to look beyond its edge, uniform and pristine, like someone wouldn't expect of something apparently carve from a jewel. The hilt had several markings on it, decorative and yet carefully placed to allow an easier grip for its wielder, while the guard had an otherworldly shape that, if looked at the right angle, seemed like a 12-pointed star.

"THIS is why I wanted a diamond." softly whispered the brown-haired girl while 'caressing' the sword's blade, doing a visible effort to just _hold_ it. "…heh, back in SAO, the system decided for me, but here I can have that privilege." after muttering that, Rika let her gaze met the mesmerized one of Kazuto, offering the blade to him. "This is Azure Vanquisher, the first sword I can truly say I have made and named myself entirely. Please, take it, Kirito."

"…how…?" muttered the shocked Suguha while her stunned brother grabbed the blade with shaking hands, noticing its inhuman weight as he did so, so much no normal person would be able to use it properly even with both hands.

He swiftly moved it through the air with just one, a marveled look in his face as he executed a gracefully practiced slashing motion. Heavy, yet small and durable. His preferred type of blade.

Just like Lisbeth knew.

"Yesterday, I 'discovered' I could do this by chance." explained the proud-looking blacksmith to the young kendoka, reaching into her clothes and, somehow, bringing out a multi-colored and round shield, which reflected the light in an almost blinding way and had a hammer-like insignia on it middle, the weapon being slightly bigger than her head. "See this thing? I made it with a necklace of cheap jewelry that I never used, and it's strong enough to take half an hour of our 'super human hits' without a scratch. I figured I could do _a bit_ better with something of better quality."

"Yo-you can use the pocket-dimension trick, like Onii-chan?!" gasped an awed Suguha as she touched the pristine shield.

"E-eh? Well, I'm not sure…I just wished to put the thing away like I usually do in the virtual world, and it did. I figured it was like an Inventory option that my time as a blacksmith made real through the powers or some…"

"Liz, I could kiss you right now." Kazuto's words cut through the air with more power than any laser cutter could, freezing both girls in the spot and causing the elder's cheeks to flush scarlet as they looked at him, an almost childish awe in his face as he raised Azure Vanquisher high in the air. "This is the most awesome thing anyone has ever given me."

"Do-don't exaggerate!" quickly waved it off the blushing Rika while laughing awkwardly, Suguha looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I-I only did it because, well, we wouldn't want those aliens to catch you off guard with just those crappy projected weapons on you, right? Bu-but feel free to praise the great Liz-sama more, i-if you want, ahahahah…s-so, could you two please tell the others about this when you have time? I-I'm sure it will be fairly easy with Elucidator-kun's help, heheheh…"

 _"…you're not fooling anyone, Rika-san."_ thought the young kendoka with a deadpanning look. _"…well, except maybe Onii-chan, but he's too busy acting like a kid on a sugar high. Sigh, boys and their toys…"_

Strangely, though, the surprising younger Kirigaya found that the obviousness of the blacksmith's feelings didn't bother her as much as it would have some time ago. In fact, she almost felt a sense of…kinship (?) towards the awkward-looking Rika.

Maybe it was because she had also once thought of her feelings towards Kazuto as hopeless, and the girl beside her had gone through that for months, but there was no real anger or resentment in her directed to the blacksmith, just like there wasn't any when she and Asuna spent time together and she noticed the longing looks she sometimes aimed towards the boy in black, when she thought she wasn't looking…

Deeply pondering what all of that could mean, a thoughtful look on her face, Suguha didn't really pay any mind when Elucidator made a zoom on her face with his camera-head, neither did the awkwardly laughing Rika or the childishly sword-playing Kazuto.

 _"…I'm so uploading this on my personal site later."_ silently decided the phone-bot with his mental equivalent of a grin.

Lazily resting on Suguha's bed and counting the remaining time before her master's parents once again weren't in at home most of the time (Thus allowing her free reign to not be 'hiding' in there all day), Fuu suddenly froze, the blinking cat-plush-thing feeling the strange need of smacking Elucidator on the head.

It seemed like it was going to be a long day for everyone before New Year's Eve celebrations started…

* * *

As she politely bid farewell to another group of richly-dressed people, in which a boy had been doing not-too-subtly attempts of 'getting her attention, Yuuki Asuna had to resist the urge to scream murder for the thousandth time in the last hour. Sadly for her, the time was barely 11 PM, so she had at least another hour of 'suffering' before she could use the commotion of New Year's countdown to 'get lost' for the rest of that damn party.

Honestly, if it had been just the annoying rich people trying to butter her up, praising her for being such an 'upstanding example of her family' or even encouraging her for her 'amazing recovery against the adversity of her earlier tragedy' (Being trapped in SAO), the chestnut-haired girl may have been able to endure it calmly through it all. After all, such nuisances were nothing compared with the things she had to go through and endure while being sub-commander of the Knights of Blood. More than once having been at the border of tearing her hair out in frustration while managing her duties in the Front Liner-guild, the rapier-user couldn't help but remember the almost Saint-like patience of their leader and commander, which always drove her to keep doing her best in such tasks.

But no, as previously stated, she could have done it if it was just that…but not when no less than 4 different boys, some several years older than her, had 'subtly' gotten closer to her and tried to engage in quite 'friendly' conversation with the Yuuki Heiress.

She was SO killing her mother for this…or at least having a serious discussion with her the next day, as there was no doubt in Asuna's mind that this was her fault, or at least indirectly instigated by her. The chestnut-haired girl had already been very clear in the fact that only herself would choose her future, and that she would take no part anymore in retarded things like arranged marriages meant to further the name or status of the family or the like.

Her father and brother had apparently gotten and respected it after the first time! Why couldn't her mother do the same?! Besides, the only person she would consider marrying or anything close right now would be…

Feeling her cheeks flush, the former sub-commander sighed and grabbed another glass of the soft red wine some waiters were passing around, drowning almost half the drink in one go without blinking.

Being already 17 aside, the girl ('Sadly') knew that her inhuman metabolism wouldn't let her get even the slightest bit drunk from something like that, which just made her sigh.

Asuna knew she had to stop. She loved Kazuto, that was a fact, much more strongly than she had ever thought, but her chance with him had passed, and she HAD to accept it.

Sugu-chan was a great girl, amazing even, and despite being younger had many things the former sub-commander admired, like her vibrant drive and her determination in the sport she practiced, kendo, something that the youngest Kirigaya had apparently had since she was very young, and to which the heiress knew she could have never compared to before SAO.

The young kendoka was certainly someone that deserved the boy in black, not to mention how truly and dearly she loved him, despite their unusual situation.

She, on the other hand, had been little more than a 'doll' back then, a girl who was only worried by whatever her mother said should worry her, who never really thought too much of how superficial her 'friends' were, who was 'content' with letting her life being planned for her…until her 'curiosity' drove her to try on her brother's Nerve Gear and Log Into Sword Art Online that fateful day. And even with that, she would still have just died a meaningless death if it wasn't…

 _"…godammit, I'm coming full circle."_ mentally growled Asuna while downing the rest of her drink, barely savoring the wine as she left the glass empty. _"How is it that my every thought seems to begin and end with him?!"_

As 'sad' as it was, though, the part-time GM was forced to accept it was her reality. It was because of Kirito, of Kirigaya Kazuto, that she hadn't drowned in despair back then, that she had survived and become the strong and will-driven woman that people in Aincrad acclaimed as 'The Flash', someone that the 'old Asuna', that which Yuuki Kyouko seemed determined in forcing to come back, would have never imagined.

The chestnut-haired girl not only loved the Black Swordsman, she literally owed most of what she was today to him, even if she would never admit it to his face. If she had been braver and more determined, more honest with herself and her feelings, then perhaps they could have been happy together, maybe even closer than he was with Suguha (Though she doubted it)…but that hadn't happened, and life didn't work on _'What Ifs'_. As painful as it was, she had to move on…

 _'Or have you?'_ whispered a low voice in the back of her mind, a very small, forbidden part of the girl's self, one that had been getting strangely stronger the last month. _'Liz and Silica-chan certainly aren't going to, not anytime soon at least. And Sugu-chan seems to mind less and less how close you are with him lately…who is to say there can't be something -more- between you two?'_

Asuna was barely able to move her other hand in time to catch the falling glass that her suddenly nerveless fingers had let go, saving herself from making a mess and an awkward scene.

What the hell?! Had she gone mad?! Was a part of her mind suggesting that she betrayed her new best friend, that she tried to seduce HER boyfriend away from…?!

 _'I never said anything like that. I was suggesting that you became -closer- to him…with her consent, of course. You won't deny that he also seems interested, right? You have seen how he looks back when you lose yourself in his eyes, how he smiles at you when you talk…it may not be at the same level that he does with Sugu, but there IS -something- there…'_ continued the traitorous whisper inside the heiress' consciousness, making her shake her head repeatedly, as if to shut it up. _'Oh, don't try and act as if I'm just a bad voice that can go away. I'm you, and you are me. Just your deepest and darkest desires given voice. In a way, you're only -hearing- me because you want to, Asuna, and you know it. Out of all the things in this world, more than an understanding mother, more than a less stressful life, more than not wanting to be in the middle of aliens and Space God's problems…you want him to love you back, even if just a little. Right?'_

"…yes, I do." muttered the chestnut-haired girl with an almost nonexistent voice, idly aware that the whisper in the back of her mind had vanished as she did so.

Asuna didn't know what made her feel more embarrassed, the fact that she literally had just argued with her subconscious about her intense and messed up feelings towards Kazuto or that she was actually considering what her traitorous thoughts had suggested.

Trying to vanish that line of thought from her mind, at least for the remainder of the annoying party, the Yuuki heiress forced herself to smile again as some distant relatives of her father came by to greet her and praise her 'tenacity and determination' to 'overcome the adversity in her life', inwardly trying to concentrate on happier and more important things, like Liz's newfound 'powers' and promise to get them all actual real life weapons (Which excited her quite a bit, to be honest)…when she felt **IT** , her face twisting into a mask of absolute shock.

In that moment, all the lights went out, plunging the entire party hall into darkness and causing senseless panic to spread through most of the guests.

Weaving her way through the panicking people in the nigh-absolute darkness, her inhuman sight barely hindered by the lack of light, Asuna arrived at one of the nearby windows in time to look outside, her eyes widening with shock.

All across the horizon, darkness had covered it all; only the lights of cars and what she assumed were smaller illumination systems that ran on batteries or similar still shining in the suddenly darkened Tokyo.

Without hesitation, the former sub-commander brought out her phone, scrolling through the first social media app she could find and opening it.

 _-Lights out everywhere!_

 _-What's going on?!_

 _-This sucks, I was in the middle of downloading a game…_

 _-It's happening in Saitama, Chiba and Yamanashi too! What the hell?!_

 _-Holy shit, people! I'm in Yokohama, and I think I just saw something moving outside! It looked like people in sci-fi armor!_

 _-LOL, troll detected._

 _-This is a serious talk man, there is a Prefecture-wide loss of energy!_

 _-I'm serious! They are outside and…I think one of them goes on all fours?!…OMG, is that some kind of tank?! I think…!_

The ominous words stating how the user that had said those words had Disconnected appeared on the chat-box, making it sink deeper into chaos. Asuna had heard more than enough, though, and was already moving her hands to tear apart the lower part of her expensive dress, letting her legs free movement as she started dialing a certain number and, without hesitation, jumped off the window, the chaos behind her making sure no one noticed.

Like a supernatural phantom, though, the chestnut-haired girl just turned into what seemed like a streak of lighting and _ran down the building's side_ , arriving to the ground in a second and, without losing any momentum, impossibly changing from vertical to horizontal movement, shooting through Tokyo's chaotic streets like a true Flash, heart hammering in her chest as the call started to be made.

She realized she was too late, though, when a cry of anger and indignation echoed through the Anchor-Link even as the burning core of it 'moved' away, changing locations by moving through Space at will.

Elucidator's words when answering her only made her run faster, even as she heard the phone-bot grabbing at something for dear life.

"The boss went alone!"

* * *

It had been being a quiet, simple and happy night for the Kirigaya family.

For the first time in forever, Suguha got to help her mother with preparing the New Year's dinner. Kirigaya Midori couldn't remember the last time she had spent so much time with her daughter smiling so much.

Likewise, Kirigaya Minetaka couldn't remember when was the last time he and his son had actually done something together while enjoying it. Probably before he discovered the truth about their real relationship, back when Midori's father was alive.

And despite this, Kazuto seemed to be truly and fully enjoying himself as they helped setting everything up and even buying the ingredients. The man couldn't remember seeing the gamer seem so happy while doing chores in…ever.

And as they sat on the table when night fell and started eating the delicious meal Suguha and Midori had prepared, Kazuto complimenting them for how great it was while a blushing Suguha shot back that the only reason he said that was because he was unable to cook anything for his life, making them all laugh…Minetaka felt as if, for the first time in years, they were once again a true family.

It made him feel even sadder about the fact that he would be going back the next day, especially with how great those short vacations with everyone had been, but it was sadly how life and his word was. After all, such things couldn't be magically 'fixed' or changed by just waving your han…

Kazuto and Suguha stiffened at the same time, their eyes widening, as they were finishing washing the dishes as their parents, still sitting on the table, exchanged some light conversation. Them, without warning, all the lights in the house went off, and even outside an almost unnatural darkness seemed to cover everything, which, given that it was less than an hour away from New Year, caused a chaotic reaction.

"What the…?! A power outage?! Now of all times?" groaning, Midori fumbled for her phone as she illuminated her equally perplexed husband, a wry smile on her face. "Well, let's hope it doesn't last or we will have to spend the countdown in the darkness."

"I wouldn't worry about that, these kinds of problems are usually solved very quickly." calmly assured the Minetaka, looking to the side as he realized he could still hear water running. "Ah, Kazuto, Suguha, you better stop with the dishes until the power comes back or…"

The older member of the Kirigaya family was unable to finish his sentence, as a field of Altered Time covered him, his wife and the whole table in that instant, essentially slowing him down to a crawl when compared to the rest of the Earth.

"Sorry." whispered Kazuto with a truly apologetic voice as he closed his eyes, Cosmic Energy flaring around him as he concentrated, searching for whatever the 'wave' he and apparently Sugu had felt before the power went out.

"Onii-chan, what's going on?!" worriedly asked Suguha after sending a guilty glance towards her parents. "It seems as if the power went out in the whole town and that thing we felt…"

"Sugu-chan, Kazu-kun!" called out a worried Fuu as she came down the stairs much faster than her plushie form would suggest, Elucidator 'riding' on her back. "Something is VERY wrong!"

"Fuu is right, boss, this isn't good at all!" added the phone-bot with a worried tone while looking towards the humans, the young kendoka shooting a worried glance towards their two unnatural friends/pets. "Whatever happened only seems to have affected energy on the ground, but several prefectures at once! Also, I'm getting some very weird reports in several websites about weird things being sighted on…"

"Yokohama." spoke the black-haired boy as his eyes shot open, his sclera seeming like the infinite cosmos and 12-pointed blue-white stars replacing his pupils.

He barely heard Suguha gasp in shock even as he _saw_ beyond what any mortal could do, his gaze somehow zeroing in an eagle view of the city from which he had 'saved' Yuuki and Aiko.

Figures in strange and futuristic armor (Noticeably different from the Ghost Walkers', but still with a vague similarity in style) rushed around the streets near the hospital from where he had saved the twins while carrying alien-looking rifles, at least 3 dozens of them. Also, 2 honest to God TANKS, or at least mechanic vehicles very similar to ones, if smaller, floated a meter off the surface around them, the strange double cannons they possessed aimed high above.

And watching over them, standing in a nearby building that oversaw the scene with two dog-sized flying machines at her sides (Like drones with plasma guns or something), a female figure clad in magenta armor (Visibly better and more advanced than those of the foot soldiers down there) stood imposingly, an inhumanly sharp feel in her mere presence as the strange claw-like gauntlets she wore opened and closed menacingly…

She glanced upwards, as if feeling the gaze over hers. Emerald diamonds met blue-white 12-pointed stars.

Gasping as he was brought back to reality, Kazuto's suddenly tense body was caught by Suguha as she shouted his name with worry, only for him to tightly grip her shoulders and stare into her eyes with terror.

"Onii…?"

"They're in Yokohama. Those crazy aliens are doing this, they…they must have cut off the power to try and find me or something!" shouted the black-haired boy while fully standing up, pacing up and down the kitchen while biting his lips.

"Then it's a trap, no doubt about it." seriously muttered Elucidator as he stood up on Fuu's back, a strange glint on his camera-face. "Whatever happens, you can't go there. They must be preparing some way to catch you, or worse…"

"You don't get it!" the gamer's scream sounded almost hysterical, making the two small inhuman beings and his sister/girlfriend to flinch in shock. "They have cut off ALL normal electrical power of FOUR ENTIRE PREFECTURES! Do you have any idea what will happen if this goes on for even 20 minutes more?!"

"…oh heavens." whispered Suguha with horrified realization, the implications rushing through her minds.

All instruments within hospitals had stopped working, streetlights and traffic ones were off, most monitoring systems or non-specific ways of information wouldn't be active…

And it was least than an hour away from New Year, one of the busiest and most active nights of the country. A literal catastrophe that could end up with countless deaths and chaotic vandalisms was about to happen, and that was without counting the freaking _aliens_ in the middle of it all.

"Holy hell, how much do these guys hate that Yhmos?!" snarled a terrified Fuu while jumping up and down in fear. "They're willing to cause national panic just to take him down?!"

"I think they're willing to do much more than just that, Fuu…" muttered the young kendoka with a distressed voice…before her head snapped back when she _felt_ the telltale sign of Cosmic Energy being gathered and weaved. "Wha…?! NO!"

"I'm sorry, Sugu. I can't let them do this." was all that Kazuto said before the Mystery finished forming and he vanished in thin air, Suguha's body crashing through the empty space he had been in a second before, even as a quick _'I will be back soon!'_ echoed into her mind.

The scream of frustration, rage, and fear emerging from the young kendoka's mouth was more than enough to make both Elucidator and Fuu cringe in terror.

"That…that…that selfish idiot! How could he do this?! He should have at least taken me with his!" tears mounting in her eyes, the youngest Kirigaya was quick in standing up and rushing towards the house's front door, not even noticing Fuu's plushy form racing after her. "How does he think I…and everyone else will feel if something happens to him?!"

"Sugu-chan! Sugu-chan! Dammit, she's not listening!" shouted the worried cat-plush-pillow before stopping and spinning around, throwing the surprised phone-bot in her back through the air. "Luci-kun, keep an eye on her!"

"WOAH! Fu-Fuu, don't throw me like that without warning!" screamed Elucidator as he was barely able to hang on from the girl's back, quickly sliding down towards one of her short's tight pockets as she exited the house and, not missing a beat, took flight, ethereal wings manifesting in her back as she shot to the heavens at vertiginous speed. "Aaah! La-lady boss, go a bit sloweeeer…!"

"When I find him…I'm so going to…beat the shit out of him!" growled Suguha as she kept going, seemingly ignoring the phone-bot's words, but she was unable to hide the feeling behind her words to him.

She was scared. Terribly so, of anything happening to the person she loved the most…

And that was when a familiar number started calling Elucidator's form, making him grimace as he answered Asuna's call and uttered the words she had been dreading to hear.

"The boss went alone!"

* * *

The moon was beautiful tonight.

That was the thought that briefly shot through the mind of Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant when she looked upwards with a sudden frown, having felt for an instant that someone was _watching_ her…

"Is everything alright, Captain Revenant?" asked the voice of Rarun through the comm. channel of the alien girl's helmet, making her sigh and look once again at her soldiers, the relatively small group she had brought hurrying into position. "You seemed distracted for a second."

 **-The Energy Isolation Network created by the Aura Scouts is working within optimal standards through the designated human 'prefectures'. The local blockade of communications within the area known as 'Yokohama' is also working without issues-** informed the mechanical voice of their main computer, giving the captain pause for a moment before she nodded and calmly answered the previous question.

"I'm okay, Lieutenant Konik. Probably just the nerves made me think I was being watched…"

"You sssure? It could very well be that the Tyrant already got hisss eyesss on you, dear captain." came the annoyingly serious voice of Gahul through the speakers, Elysium still being sharp enough to detect the slight mockery in the snake alien's tone. "Perhapsss you ssshould withdraw before thisss costsss you more than you would like…"

"Your 'concern' is appreciated, General Moria, but unneeded. I know what I am doing, and I know the risks." coldly stated the pink-haired young woman as she nodded towards one of her battle drones, the machine acknowledging the order and quickly flying away. "I will make sure that we accomplish my father's with to end this threat, no matter what."

Back in the Star Hunters' HQ, and despite the alien wearing a helmet, Kayaba Akihiko swore he could feel the frown appearing on Gahul's face at the captain's words, while Rarun was internally praising Elysium at the determination in her words. No one would say that she was in truth as full of doubts inside as when she had talked to him that evening.

She truly was a soldier at heart, when it came down to it. Every time, it was easier for her to put the warm little girl that was born a princess away, to the depths of her soul, in favor of her duty.

And this may very well be the last time she did…

"Your father wasss a Champion, Captain Revenant. And while I accept that you're a prodigy, you're still nothing compared to him." Gahul's words echoed through the control room like electricity through water, insecure looks being exchanged by the technicians, soldiers and droids presence, the conflicting feelings of outrage at an officer challenging his superior and shame because, deep inside, all knew his words were true, clashing inside of them. "Him, I would have no doubt would pull off this missssion. You, on the other hand…well, I guessss that, for our survival and the sake of this Fate-forsaken planet, I ssshould wisssh for you to prove me wrong."

"…do not worry, general, I will do so." sighed the alien girl with just a small hint of resignation in her voice, knowing that the veiled insult was probably the closest she was going to get in the way of 'encouraging words' from the reptilian alien.

Then again, given that, if this plan of theirs was a failure even just in its initial stage, they would at the very best be left without a single Aura Scout and lose their Detection Network for their enemy's energy, it may have been slightly justified.

After all, the start of it depending purely in that their assumptions of the Tyrant needing the human's energy for the purposes of his recovery (Or for his apparent followers, as they had seen the day Rarun engaged him) was right, and the wasn't hiding too far away from the area where they had encountered him last time.

If he could perfectly ignore the lack of energy and/or the chaos in which the humans would doubtlessly sink soon, or if he was hiding on the other side of the planet (Even just the country), then all their efforts would have been in vain…but she also wouldn't be forced to confront…

"Wait, we just detected a spike of energy! It seems to be coming from…!"

Before Flint could finish his words, the droid's warning became moot, as the sound of lighting crackling fiercely drew everyone's attention, the gathered Star Hunters raising their gazes as one in time to see a 12-pointed star made of blue-white electricity roaring into existence over the rooftop of the Yokohama North General Hospital.

On an apartment, two of the three worried teenagers that had been trying to contact two of their friends froze, Shino's eyes looking at the Konno twins' in confusion as they turned around, their Anchor Marks shining with ethereal light, making the bespectacled girl gasp.

In her house, Shinozaki Rika stopped halfway to the basement (Where she had been told to get candles from) and looked at her shining mark in shock, stopping her useless attempts to contact Asuna before running upstairs as fast as she could.

Lying on her room's bed, vaguely aware of her parents saying from the hallway that it seemed they would have to spend New Year in the dark, Ayano Keiko suddenly shot up, eyes wide with apprehension as her mark started to shine, Pina crying in anguish from his place beside her.

Inside the virtual world know as Requiem Universus Online, in the Throne Room of Astemeri Palace, Yhmos' eyes shot open, the fallen Ancient Ruler standing up and interrupting her daughters' worried report about a sudden power outage in several prefectures.

Back in the streets of Yokohama, Elysium Syrom Revenant cursed.

Well, it seemed that there was no point in trying to pretend the humans in the area hadn't seen them, after all. Their enemy had just blown all attempt of subtlety all the way to the depths of Unreality.

"It's him, it's him, it's…!"

"Enemy Signal confirmed, we need visual to…!"

"Captain Revenant, preparations are just 97% done and…!"

"Finish, right now. I will proceed with the plan and engage the target." Elysium's voice cut through the sudden chaos engulfing their communication channels like a superheated knife through butter, not even waiting for the battle drone at her side to react before she activated her armor's Warp Belt.

With a roaring sound, the young captain 'exploded' as she was thrown through a sudden 'cut' in Reality, reappearing the next second less than a hundred meters over the hospital's roof, where she had been staring at.

Landing with a loud crash that cracked the ground around her feet, the alien's eyes shot immediately towards their hated foe…and widened in surprise.

Standing there with clenched fists and staring at her with anger was the Tyrant's temporary form _wearing mundane and simple human garb_ , no trace of the strange cloak he had worn when Rarun and the Ghost Walkers had confronted him in that same building.

Elysium was so shocked she barely paid attention at how the roaring 12-pointed star of electricity crackling like a beacon over them seemed to be interfering with her helmet's communications, if the strangled sounds coming through it were anything to go by.

Being forced to possess a human because he needed a new body was one thing, but why would the last of the Ancient Rulers 'reduce himself' to wear their…?!

"Turn the power back on. Now." snarled the black-haired boy with an icy-cold voice, snapping the alien girl out of her shock and making her curse inwardly as she adopted a sharper battle stance.

"We will do that once you're dead, Tyrant." emotionlessly replied the last remaining Captain of the Float that had been aboard the Star Hunter before moving forward faster than any being over the face of Earth, claws shooting to impale her enemy's chest and crush his arm at the same time.

Now, Elysium expected many things about the upcoming instants. She expected to be blasted back by an invisible shield, that the ground suddenly rose like a wall to hinder her charge or even that the 'star' shining over them suddenly exploded towards her like a beam of electrical death. She was ready and prepared to react to any of this, as futile as she knew it would be in the long run, just to give her men the necessary human seconds they needed to finish their preparations and enact the plan.

What she wasn't even remotely expecting was for the Tyrant to perfectly intercept both of her claws with uncanny precision with two swords that he had brought out of nowhere, one of them an unimpressive colorless thing (That cracked upon contact with her 'Crimson Reapers') and the other one of the most beautifully crafted weapons she had ever seen, with an almost see-through azure blade.

As the sound of their weapons clashing echoed through the rooftop, the captain found herself in yet another uncharacteristic moment of shock while backing away. When Rarun reported the Tyrant had defended himself with a nondescript sword, they had thought nothing of it, chalking it to his weakness forcing him to rely on a mundane weapon for protection as he couldn't afford to use his most destructive powers carelessly.

But the parry she had just suffered was no clumsy or desperate attempt made to try and stop an attack through unorthodox means, no. It had been a perfectly skilled counter made by someone who knew perfectly how to fight with those blades.

"As I told your 4-armed pal the other day…" growled the dual wielder with narrowed eyes. "I'm not who you think I am."

The next moment, he vanished from sight, Elysium quickly turning around to meet his double swipe with her claws, instinctively deflecting them to the side and entering his range to try and rip off his neck and cripple his right hand in one move.

He sidestepped, at the last second, with uncanny precision, avoiding any harm by inches and quickly backtracking out of her range.

 _"No sense…"_

Battle instincts driving her body, Elysium's mind was more and more chaotic with each second, claws and swords clashing so fast and with such force that sparks flew everywhere like a crazy lightshow.

 _"No sense…!"_

Not staying still for even an instant, both combatants shot all across the rooftop, engaging in a deadly dance filled with inhuman speed and impossible counters, brutal clashes and unreal evasions.

It was a 'show' the likes this world had never seen before.

 _"This makes no sense!"_ screamed the uncomprehending thoughts of the pink-haired captain as she and her enemy disengaged for the thirtieth time, both backing away without losing track of the other.

The Tyrant wasn't supposed to fight like this! He was a monster, a creature of cosmic level, with enough power to blow up planets and destroy stars with just a swipe of his dark will, to subjugate galaxies in less than an Ultra-Cycle…

He wasn't supposed to be a skilled fighter. As a creature that relied purely on power or in his servants carrying out his will, the Ancient Ruler didn't know how to actually 'fight' like a trained soldier, as he had never needed it as far as they knew, having always possessed the ability to destroy anything which opposed him with raw power.

Even if his strongest and most feared weapon had been a 'sword', the accursed Nebula-Slayer 'Nephilim', no tactical genius had been needing to notice that, during the few times he had been seen using it in the past (Or in the long and crazed reports coming from his 'last stand' on his home planet), he just 'swung' the planet-sized weapon without care or any real ability, relying on its unholy power (Justifiably so) to do the rest.

But the being before her was nothing like that. He was a swordsman of the highest caliber, a master of the blades the like she had never seen before, swinging both of those absurdly heavy swords (Even if he apparently had to use his powers to constantly restore the simpler-looking one) with an style and precision that were as reckless as effective, leaving no openings and countering all of her attacks with an ability that only veteran fighters could achieve. Even if not at the level of her father, it was still leagues beyond anything the cosmic monster she was supposed to be facing should be able to do.

…and none of his attacks had been lethal, Elysium's numb mind realized. While she had been trying to kill the supposed Tyrant with each and every single one of her strikes, all of his had either been aimed to either unbalance her or to try and destroy her trusty Crimson Reapers (Futile attempts unless he suddenly fueled those blades with the strength of a Titan or the fire of a star, but still).

Then, there were also his words, those he had said a couple seconds before and also when Rarun had attacked him last time. About not being who they knew he was, when all their readings and the powers he displayed made more than obvious that it was a very stupid and pathetic lie…

But those eyes…despite the symbol and power of their eternal enemy glowing within them, she could still see it, deep inside. Those weren't the eyes of a Tyrant.

Those were the eyes of a **warrior** , the greatest and most feared kind of fool a _soldier_ could ever face…even if all evidence pointed to this being nothing but a, somehow, very well crafted trick.

And despite that, despite the 12-pointed stars shining inside his eyes and above her and despite that fact that she never abandoned her fighting stance, Elysium Syrom Revenant couldn't stop the question that escaped her lips, her voice filled with a mix of tension and fear.

"Who are you?"

"…you can call me Kirito." answered the black-haired boy with a voice brimming with power, frustration, and barely restrained anger, unknowing of how, back in the aliens' HQ, Kayaba Akihiko let his eyes widen a fraction before suppressing a smirk. "And you have 10 seconds to restore the power to the prefectures before I'm forced to do something I regret."

Somewhere, in the depths of the Aether Core, the infinitesimal stain of blackness within the blue-white cosmos **grew**.

In the streets surrounding the hospital, no longer trying to not made any sounds or stay hidden at all, the alien soldiers exchanged shouts of preparation, even as the two 'tanks' they had brought with them changed position and aimed their cannons towards the top of the medical building.

Inhuman purple energy shining within them, the weapons charged their devastating shots.

In the dark side of the moon, the broken figure in golden armor twitched, frozen eyes somehow opening as its diamond-shaped pupils shook.

And deep within Elysium's claws, _something_ that didn't Belong in this plane begged to be released, ready to vanquish all that Belonged…

* * *

 **Lesson 10** **:** _A Warrior learns to survive. A Soldier is trained to kill._

* * *

 **Next** **:** _Concept of Reality_

* * *

 **Omake: Star Hunters' Log 6**

Alliance's Basic Infantry Units

The foot soldiers of the Universal Alliance make the bulk and base of their ranks. Members of almost every species in our Universe, no matter the planet they hail from, start as this when joining the Alliance.

While being, obviously, the most numerous units in our ranks, they're also the one with the highest mortality rate, given that all of them carry the same type of basic equipment and are, as cruel as it sounds, considered 'expendable' when compared to other, more important, objectives or units.

Every single foot soldier in the Alliance knows this, and also that the only way of escaping such fate is to rise in the ranks…

 **Main Abilities:** Basic Alliance-Combat Suit - Type Delta.

 **Weaponry:** Laser Rifle GX800. Stun Baton R4.

Tachyon Tank _(98 Remaining)_

Basic assault vehicle of the Universal Alliance, with a standard capacity of carrying 4 to 5 soldiers inside (Number may be reduced depending on the soldier's species). Built mostly with an alloy of Karadium, a metallic alloy several times stronger but lighter than Earth's Titanium, there are almost no human weapons that can damage a Tachyon Tank.

Usually used for large-scale terrestrial assault. Not suited for fast or easy transportation.

 **Main abilities:** Low Anti-Gravity System (Used for movement over all kinds of terrain, even water if needed. Doesn't allow flight capabilities, only allowing the vehicle to hover between 1 and 2 Earth meters from the surface over which it moves). Heat-Tracing Aiming System.

 **Weaponry:** Retractable Lateral Machineguns HGX677. Tachyon Cannon - Vulcan Rider (Highly destructive, usually used to bring down especially reinforced enemy fortresses).

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that's done, my dear readers. With this, we're one chapter away from the end of this 'arc'. And after that, the last arc of this craziness shall come.

As you can see, shit has gotten real pretty fast, but this has just been the prelude. Be ready for everything and everyone to change when the madness that will be next chapter comes (Hopefully soon, as I'm finally on my end of the year vacations!), and events to spiral towards the conclusion of it all that shall be the last arc. Next time, an unavoidable clash with world-changing consequences: Kirito vs. Elysium!

Also, hope you liked the small showing of Liz's very own 'power', even if it's not going to be more relevant until the next arc begins (Obviously, given current developments) and the part of Asuna 'struggling' with her feelings. This was, in a way, both a reference and a half-joke to canon, because, as you know, Asuna's feelings for Kirito had actually been there developing for a long time, but it was only the last events of the Aincrad Arc what pushed her to actually be honest with herself and make him notice and accept them. Said self-acceptation already happened, though in a different way, in this story, so we basically get an Asuna that's as in love with the idiot in black as the canon one (So, love on a level that many would say ranges from 'heartwarmingly sweet' to 'absolutely unbelievable') but that also knows she 'lost' her chance with him and has accepted how much Sugu loves him and he to her, plus becoming close friends with Sugu (With almost 'unnatural' easiness, as pointed out). All of this will lead to…things, which shall be seen in the aftermath of this arc. Just saying that you may expect her to be the main catalyst for…certain developments :P

And well, that's all from me for now, everyone…EXCEPT by a small surprise I have for you and everyone else interested, a 'Christmas Gift', if you must, from your humble and crazy reader for you all to enjoy and (Hopefully) laugh a bit: An SAO parody/AU one-shot about…Magical Girls (With Sugu as the Main Character :D!). It's called 'Fairy Guardian: Savior of Lovely Dreams!' and I'm uploading it at the same time than this chapter, so you can all go and enjoy as soon as you finish reading this, be it through my profile or from the SAO section of the site :P

Okay, now that's truly all. Hope you all have a happy and enjoyable time this end of the year, remember that I love you all because I wouldn't be here without your support :3

Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	13. Chapter 11: Concept of Reality

Happy new year, everyone! This is Saint wishing you all are spending some good festivities, and bringing you the end of this story's second arc OwO! Surprised? Well, these are good news for you! Holidays have really fired me up, so I was able to make this chapter very fast :D!

Well, it has been quite the ride, hasn't it? Once again, this fic surpassed all expectations I had on it, and even if not as much as OPG it still has quickly become a great story, which I'm happy so many enjoy so much. So, now that we're nearing its end, I want to once again thank you all for following me all this way. Let us keep enjoying for another year, okay :3?

And well, without more delay, enjoy! Prepare to read one of the messiest New Year's Eve ever, people. Things are about to get crazier, and probably not stop doing so…BTW, this chapter has several scene changes that go slightly back and forth in time in relation to the last scene, but I did my best to make them still as clear as possible so as to you can understand when and where everything is happening in relation to the rest XP Have a good read!

 **PS:** Chapter still Unbetaed Sorry again O,O

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Concept of Reality**

 **December 31st, 2024. Yokohama, Kanagawa. Near the city's outskirts, 23:35…**

The young 'human' girl known as Kirigaya Suguha knew, despite her young age, what true fear and despair felt like.

She had experienced the former very early in her life when she fell into their house's pond and almost drowned. And she had felt the latter little more than 2 years ago when she got back home just to receive the horrifying news of what had happened to her adoptive brother, trapped inside a virtual world with his life at stake because of a madman's machinations.

Both times, she had managed to overcome them, and both also because of the black-haired boy. The first time because he fearlessly dove into the water to save her life and the second because, by some crazy twist of Fate involving an 'Alien God', he had managed to escape Sword Art Online much earlier than he should have, returned to her side and, after some time, fall in love with her, just like she had done. She had never been happier in her life.

…and yet, the memory of those feelings hadn't vanished. The terror she felt at the edge of dying, the helplessness of being unable to do anything but watch as Kazuto wasted away in a hospital bed…

All of it was back at full force, perhaps even more than back then, as she shot through the heavens, barely paying attention to her usually so dear action of flying as she hurried to catch up to the reckless idiot that she loved more than anything in the world, praying to anything that could hear her that he was okay. Because if anything happened to him, she…

Her terrified thoughts were interrupted when, both to hers and the phone-bot's surprise, Elucidator started 'ringing', signaling that someone else was calling.

"Wha..?! Why is everyone calling at such an important time?!" complained the small mechanical being while answering the call, apparently ignoring the self-explanatory answer in his previous statement. "Yeah, who…?"

"Where is the boy and what in Fate's name is he doing?!" exploded Yhmos' voice through the speakers, making Elucidator squeak in surprise and fall from Suguha's pocket, only the girl's nimble reflexes letting her catch him before he fell down hundreds of meters at terminal speeds. "I just felt a HUGE wave of my powers just after this whole 'power outage' thing began and…!"

"…oh God, I didn't even think of that!" shouted the young kendoka while bringing the phone-bot closer to her face, making the Ancient Ruler lean back in surprise. "Are Yui-chan and the rest okay?! Without electricity, your servers…!"

"Easy there, Suguha, we're okay!" came the oldest of the AIs' voice as the screen divided in half, letting the youngest Kirigaya see the other's face. "Our Servers are in Tokyo, but we had several backup energy generators set up for emergencies like this! We can perfectly last for almost 48 hours before we have to worry about…!"

"The power outage is the aliens' doing and the boss went to face them all alone!" shouted Elucidator through the call, making the ones in RUO freeze on the spot, several of the youngest virtual sisters gasping at the revelation while the oldest two looked as if their minds had suffered some sort of Blue Screen of Death. "…sorry for the bluntness, but I could feel none of you were going to just say it, and we're pretty close to where they supposedly are assem…"

"Has that boy gone mad?! That's the most obvious trap-setting I have ever heard about! And those bastards of the Alliance wouldn't have set it up like that if they didn't at least _think_ they have even the slightest chance of killing me in my 'weakened state'!" roared Yhmos while shaking everyone out of their collective shock. "For me, that would probably mean little unless luck and Fate are smiling at them, but against that idiotic boy and his naïve view of life it could…!"

"…Tomoe! Isn't there anything we can do?!" shouted Yui while turning to look at her younger sister, the MHCP-005 biting her lips before using her arms ('real' and robotic ones) to scan through dozens of screens in seconds.

"…n-no, sorry Yui-neesama, but without any power anywhere nearby we're as good as blind." regretfully informed the bespectacled young girl even as Suguha accelerated, the conversation just making her want to arrive faster. "Even the Cardinal System's power is useless if there is nothing active to use it in…"

"What about their blockade?! Can't we use Cardinal to counter-hack them?!" desperately asked Strea while walking near her.

"Strea-neesama…" muttered Haru with worry, floating beside her admired sister to put a massive armored hand on her shoulder, deciding for once not to think about who the lilac-haired girl's worry was directed towards.

"N-no, I'm sorry, Strea-nee, but it's impossible. Whatever the hell they're using, we're not locating it on any of our wireless networks or systems, at least those which are still working with the emergency power…" looking down, Tomoe seemed sad and defeated as her mechanical arms stopped moving. "I can only assume the technology they're using far surpasses the one we possess, and Cardinal is useless if we can't interface with their systems."

"Then…we can't do anything to help Kirito-san and the rest?" muttered Ivy with an uneasy tone, the silence around her being the damming answer.

"…having hope." Eve's voice cut through the tense and furious silence that was filling the Throne Room, suddenly seeming unusually serious despite being currently 'ridding' on Ivy's shoulders. "Only thing we can do."

"…I fear that may be not enough, Eve." grimly said Yhmos while turning around, once again bringing up the screen from before, where Suguha's worried face could be seen looking away from them. "Hey! Kirigaya Suguha, can you hear me?!"

"No time! I think I'm seeing something shining like a damn beacon over one of the city's buildings, so I'm heading there!" curtly replied the young kendoka while her ethereal wings shone even brighter, the Ancient Ruler vaguely aware that his 'daughters' were arguing if they should tell Yin and Yan about the situation, both twins currently down trying to calm down the 'little ones'. "Onii-chan must be in there and…!"

"Try to calm down and be rational, dammit!" shouted the fallen cosmic entity while resisting the urge to scream obscenities. "You must be careful if the Alliance's soldiers truly are there, they will most likely be prepared for…!"

"Lady boss, watch out!"

"Wha…?! AAAH!"

Every single head within the Throne Room of Astemeri Palace turned towards Yhmos at the scream, Yhmos' eyes widening in shock as what seemed like some kind of explosion consumed most of the view, Yui and Strea's faces morphing into pure horror at the sight.

"SUGUHA!"

"SUGU-CHAN!"

"Shit, I warned her!" snarled the Ancient Ruler while standing up while most of his daughters ran past him towards the suddenly enlarged scream, shouting aloud to try and get any living signs from the human girl. "Of course they're carrying Anti-Air weapons! She should have…!"

Whatever else he was going to say, though, was cut off when the image suddenly started spinning without control and then, to his surprise, Suguha's form was visible for a moment, flying safely out of the explosion's remains…before the view kept spinning without control, a tiny scream as background.

The relief filling the AIs' faces vanished as soon as they understood what was happening, just an instant before the image went dark, though it wasn't as if they could do anything about it.

Falling out of control towards the darkened streets of Yokohama, one of his tiny robotic arms gone, the mechanical being known as Elucidator screamed…

* * *

Kirigaya Kazuto wasn't the smartest person in the world. Neither the one within his circle of friends. In fact, he probably was the less smart in more than one sense, while maybe being better at very specific ones.

He knew these facts, and he accepted them, as something he had long since come to terms with.

Still, having gone there without any real plan beyond _'Ordering the aliens to stop or else…'_ probably qualified as the most stupid thing he had ever done, especially because his mind was giving him less and less options that didn't include untold amounts of destruction or violence that he wasn't willing to use…but he hadn't really cared much about it at the time, given that the potential consequences of what they were doing had horrified him on the spot.

If he had had more time to learn how to actually use his damn 'stolen powers', maybe he would have been able to find a better solution. Hell, the black-haired boy was more than sure that Yhmos would have already 'fixed' the situation if he were in his place.

…the problem was that he would have done so by killing all the 'Star Hunters' present without a second thought, and not before making sure of getting the location of their base from at least one of them, just to make sure of eradicating all the other survivors later. And that was a course of action that the gamer would never take.

Still, as his blades once again clashed against the battle-claws of the inhumanly fast and strong alien girl before him, Kazuto was starting to think that maybe he should have _really_ have thought things through.

At least he could take comfort in that the hospital under them had been mostly evacuated after the 'terrorist attack' of last time, only a few token staff remaining on the lower floors (And probably hidden scared shitless in that moment) to make sure everything stayed in order until the repairs could begin…

"Kuh…!" growled Kazuto when his opponent vanished from view once again, the instincts that he had honed through endless fights to survive back in Aincrad screaming at him as he spun around and barely managed to deflect the descending swipe of her battle-claws with his blades, but unable to stop the tip of two from the left one to bite slightly into his cheek, inhumanly strong flesh giving away like wet paper as droplets of blood flew everywhere _. "Agh, stings…! Holy shit, those things are sharp! I better not let her touch me or I'm done for!"_

"…no way." muttered Elysium while looking to her side, eyes wide behind her helmet at seeing the long 'scar' that now marred her armor's forearm piece, almost 2 inches deep into the alien alloy. _"What is that sword of his made from?! An Officer's suit is strong enough to shrug off up to medium-potency laser blades, but he cut through it without effort! And he's NOT putting any Cosmic Power into the weapon, or he would have cut off my arm…that thing is just that strong by itself!"_

"Why are you still doing this?!" shouted the black-haired boy while pointing Azure Vanquisher towards the captain, whose gaze was already fixed once again on his form, ready to react to any attack. "I told you, I'm NOT the damn 'Tyrant' you're chasing! Now stop this madness before you become even more unwelcome in my planet than you already are!"

"Even if I were to believe this isn't just a masterful deceit, that still leaves the matter of YOU having the Tyrant's powers, 'Kirito'." snapped back Elysium while slowly moving around the gamer's perimeter, searching for any opening in his stance. "Do you expect me to believe a single human, not even a full grown adult, managed to outwit the greatest existence my Universe has known for eons, and that has been trying to conquer it for almost a thousand Mega-cycles?!"

"First of all, you don't exactly sound like an old lady yourself, girl." snorted Kazuto while lowering his blades, making one of the captain's eyebrows twitch. "And second, I…didn't really do that. It was just…an accident, that led to me being stuck with this powers. Hell, I barely understand them myself! I never asked for or even wanted them in the first place!"

"…and yet, you still came here, to face us the moment we spring our trap, despite knowing is one and despite having run away from Lieutenant Konik last time." stated the alien girl while narrowing her eyes, her stance growing even tenser. "Why?"

"Why?! You have cut off all power from a chunk of the damn country, capital included, in one of the busiest and most dangerous nights of the year, dammit! Do you know how many could get hurt or even die because of your actions?! How many hospitals must be running on emergency power right now?!" screamed the black-haired boy with raw anger, actually making Elysium bit her lips. "And for your information, I only ran from your 4-armed friend because we were inside a damn hospital and I had to protect the twi…!"

The alien girl shot forward, faster than any Olympic athlete, cracking the roof's material as she did so, and bared her claws towards the gamer, apparently aiming to disembowel him.

Not even blinking, Kirito cut himself off mid-sentence and struck her arms head on, the projected-sword cracking but stopping its mark while Azure Vanquisher halted the other's advance no problem, the boy proving how not even his anger had been enough to numb his unreal skill with the blades…

Which was the exact moment when Elysium's hips moved slightly backward in one fluid motion, letting what had been 'coiled' inside the special part of her armor's back to come out and strike forward in a single second.

Unable to hold back a small feeling of victory, the captain watched as the gamer's eyes widened when her long and thin scorpion-like tail (The only part of her anatomy, besides her eyes, distinguishing the hybrid from any normal human) passed just under her armpits and shot straight towards his face, his swords too far away and his arms occupied…

And that was when both blades suddenly **shone** with an unnatural light, throwing off the shocked girl's arms and moving beyond logic and at unreal speeds (Almost literally _dragging_ his arms to do so) to form a crossed pattern before the boy, the bluish diamond one over the featureless one, just in the middle of her attack.

All of that happened in a split of a second.

"CROSS BLOCK!" roared Kazuto just as Elysium's tail struck his crossed blades, the alien captain wincing and releasing a small sound of pain as she felt as if her bone-like appendage, normally able to pierce through normal armor with ease, had just struck an unbreakable wall, making her jump backward. "…I see. So, you were holding back while looking for an opening, uh?"

"Gah…That…you…! What in Fate's name was that?!" growled the girl while her tail moved back and forth beside her, high in the air and poised forward, giving away the anger she felt.

"The only 'defensive' Skill in the Dual Blades' Skill Tree." answered the boy without missing a beat, only making the captain's confusion grow. "And in case you didn't get that at all…it means I have also been holding back. A lot… _Double Circular._ "

As soon as those words left his mouth, the gamer _moved_ forward, the once more glowing blades seemingly violating the laws of physics to **drag** their owner's body at impossible speeds Elysium actually gasping as her claws came upwards just in time to block the double downward slash…only for the weapons' shine to continue as Kazuto's arms spun around and executed a double lunge forward, the captain's mind screaming at the 'impossible' move as her tail shot around her to try and deflect the weapons.

The tip brutally struck the cracked featureless sword, breaking its blade to pieces and making the glow disappear…and stopping just before getting in the way of the bluish one, as if instinctively remembering the pain it had caused it before, even as the alien girl tried to get out of its way…

Azure Vanquisher's glowing tip struck true, piercing through Elysium's helmet and destroying her HUD, all the crackling sounds of her interfered comm. channel vanishing as the head-armor was almost literally broken apart, the sword not piercing her head by just a couple millimeters.

Both combatants separated immediately after that, ragged breaths coming from them while Elysium all but clawed out her helmet's remains, her eyes wide and sweat covering her face while her long pink hair flew fell freely on her back.

"Ah…argh…yo-you…how…?!" was all that came from the captain's mouth as she tried to recover her breath, her heart hammering in her chest as she registered how close she had just been from dying all of a sudden.

"As I said…I was holding back…and still am. You wouldn't have survived a Starburst Stream…" raggedly answered Kazuto while biting his lips, a part of him thankful that his powers had allowed him to actually use Sword Skills in reality while the rest was utterly terrified of how easy it would have been for him to massacre the girl before him with the absurdly powerful Unique Skill (Which he had never even thought of testing against human targets, though now it was pretty clear what the results would have been). "Also, you're prettier than anyone so intent on killing me despite knowing I'm not their enemy has any right to be…"

"…you're right; I can see you're not the Tyrant now. But that doesn't change anything. You still have his powers and, innocent or not, I can't in good consciousness trust that a human child from an underdeveloped planet will not become a second monster with them." coldly replied the alien girl, completely ignoring the boy's 'compliment'. "I won't risk this planet…no, this entire Universe, just for a single life. And so, I will do something I wasn't confident in against the Tyrant, but more that I'm more than sure against someone so clearly scared of hurting even his enemies…I will end you right now."

 _Something_ inside the gamer's very being started screaming at those words, as if his Aether Core itself was trying to shout at him to destroy the being standing before him, to end the existence of the alien girl with diamond-shaped green irises before she did whatever she was going to, even as she spread her arms open…

And the sound of an explosion half a kilometer from the hospital made her freeze, both hers and Kazuto's gaze snapping in that direction and seeing a cloud of black smoke filling the air.

"Did your men just shoot a missile into the air?!" screamed the incredulous boy before being able to stop himself, a mix of horror and shock filling his voice.

"Wha…?! I ordered not to use weapons outside the range of the Mission's Objective, there are civilians in the area that still can be spared, for Fate's sake! What's going…?!" Elysium was just starting to realize that she had essentially been talking to no one, as her helmet had been destroyed, before she saw a glowing humanoid form with ethereal wings shooting out of the explosion's remains, making her eyes widen. "What in Unreality's name…?!"

"Sugu?!" shouted the wide-eyed gamer, as if unable to believe his adoptive sister/girlfriend had actually followed him (And a part of him calling himself idiot several times for doing so), before several other sounds breaking through the city's silence caught her attention, his eyes widening even more at 'feeling' them. "Oh, you have got to be…!"

The alien captain (Who had been looking at him in surprise since he apparently said the name of the flying 'human' aloud) was starting to realize that her opponent had seemingly brought some kind of backup before a roar tore through the sky and a draconic figure of azure color, almost the same size of their Tachyon Tanks, appeared around the furthest buildings just under the previous explosion, breathing out blue fire into the screaming infantry of the Star Hunters, most likely the ones that had tried to shot down the one with wings, then suddenly covering his head with his wings to protect himself and his rider from an unexpected onslaught of laser fire, as more chaos descended into the battlefield. Then, out of nowhere, the winged figure of before descended over the enemies attacking the dragon, letting him stand to fight again…

And then both Tachyon Tanks fired upon the building, supercharged shells filled to the brink with plasma screaming through the air towards the hospital's roof.

Incidentally, that was when the city stopped being quiet in any way, screams and shouts filling the air as people started to try and flee…

* * *

"W-we got you, Elucidator-san!" screamed Keiko as she tried very hard not to panic, gripping tightly on the massive dragon's neck feathers with one hand while her other one was firmly closed around the one-armed phone-bot. "Ju-just hold on!"

"What in the…?! Ah, Keiko-lady?! O-oh, thank the Boss, you saved me!" cheered Elucidator while vaguely waving his remaining arm, before 'blinking' in surprise at realizing their current situation. "Wait…is this enormous thing your little pet dragon?!"

For answer, Pina roared as he unleashed another torrent of azure fire towards the panicking and screaming soldiers, the shock of the unexpected 'monster' attacking them after they 'took down' an unknown flying enemy apparently having caught them totally off guard.

"Ye-yes, it's him. Pina just…grew, when I felt that Kirito-san was doing something dangerous and I wanted to go and help him." explained the twin-tailed girl as she let go of the phone-bot just beside where she was 'riding' on the dragon's back. "That's how I got out of my house through my room's window without my parents noticing…"

"Oh, well, thanks a lot, I thought I was a goner! And believe me, I didn't want 'splattered to pieces against the ground' to be my last memory of…" Elucidator stiffened, stopping talking mid-sentence a he turned around, looking forward and towards the alien soldiers. "THEY'RE SHOOTING!"

"Eh?!" was all that Keiko could say before she heard the sound of energy being discharged, an entire platoon of the Star Hunters having reorganized themselves and, from strategically covered position, fired upon Pina's imposing form.

Roaring, the blue dragon quickly covered his head with his wings to protect his rider and friend, taking most of the shots with them and, despite the negligible damage they seemed to do even to his feathers, the sheer amount and speed of the energy shots made him groan in pain.

"Da-damn!" shouted the phone-bot in horror while the girl beside him screamed her draconic friend's name. "Hang in there, big guy!"

"Pi-Pina, no!" shouted the terrified Keiko with tears in her eyes, the horrible memory of the small feathery dragon vanishing in her hands appearing on her mind. "NO! I won't…I won't let it happen again! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

With that last shout, the young girl jumped down Pina's back, a featureless dagger materializing on her hand almost instantly as she shot forward at inhuman speeds, the soldiers too busy shooting towards the big fucking dragon that had attacked them outta nowhere to realize the new threat until it was too late, the screaming Beast Tamer ramming her small blade on the closest one's weapon and, while he was still staring in shock at his destroyed laser rifle, slam a kick against his chest, throwing him against a nearby wall and knocking the alien down.

"Wha…?! Ixuer is down, a new hostile is here!"

"It looks like a human girl, but it's not, she knocked him out without effort!"

"Take her down; she must be another follower of the Ty…!"

The soldier that was aiming towards Keiko didn't even have time to scream before a figure with ethereal wings rushed past him and, effortlessly, cut his rifle in half, making it explode in his face, and throwing him backward into two of his fellow aliens.

Like an apparition from a mythical tale, Suguha flew through the enemy ranks at impossible speeds, her projected katana cutting apart laser weapons left and right as she moved too fast for her enemies to aim, also serving as a perfect distraction for her younger friend to take down another soldier more before a recovered Pina roared and slammed his paws at her sides, covering her from any attempt of attack while his tail slammed the mostly weaponless aliens away.

It was clear that none of them was uninjured, but they hadn't died either.

"Suguha-san!"

"Silica-chan, you're here!" screamed her as she landed, looking around for any enemy that wasn't running away screaming for backup or asking instructions to someone that apparently wasn't there. "Cover me, we have to get where Onii-chan…!"

With a thunderous sound that deafened both girls, the Tachyon Tanks fired, both of them gasping as they saw the massive shells filled to the brink with raw energy shot through the air and soar towards the roof of Yokohama North General Hospital in just a couple seconds…only to slam against an invisible 'shield' that crackled with electric-like power as they detonated, the explosions being slightly muted as the barrier, which was clearly being generated by the 12-pointed star above the building, absorbed them.

In that exact moment, near one of the tanks, a flash of light came rushing from a nearby street, cutting down weapons and throwing alien soldiers away faster than most could even blink, the ones inside the assault vehicle watching in shock as an angry Yuuki Asuna, still wearing her now ruined party dress, became visible as she stopped running, her eyes burning with blue-white power and the mark on her right hand shining like a supernatural beacon.

The tank's lateral machineguns were barely starting to aim at her when she shot to its side and rammed her featureless weapon into the right one, both machinegun and rapier breaking upon impact.

"You shouldn't have tried to mess with this planet!" spat the girl before rushing around the tank as fast as she could, trying to find a way inside and also making the soldiers inside to panic.

"Tank Alpha is under attack, the enemy is too fast to take down!"

"Squad 2, move to support, we need the Tachyon Tanks intact! Still no word from Captain Revenant?!"

"Not since she engaged the Tyrant up there! His powers must be interfering with our communications some…! Wait a moment, what is tha…?!"

Words coming out too late, the alien soldier couldn't even scream as a car seemingly out of control crashed against him and his 3 companions, sending them careening through the air and through the crystal of a nearby pet store, with many broken bones, before the vehicle came to a halt after skidding like crazy.

Opening the driver's door via an unceremonious hammer-hit, a disheveled and sweating Shinozaki Rika emerged, her face a mix of fear, guilt and excitement.

"I really hope those guys aren't death…and shit, who would have thought that theoretical lessons about how to drive and hijack a car from Ivy-chan would come in handy?" mused the brown-haired girl before looking towards the hospital building and the shining star over it. "Well, talk about not being subtle at all, Kirito. Honestly, sometimes I don't…"

"Die, servant of the Tyrant!" screamed a soldier while jumping down from a nearby window, taking the blacksmith by surprise as she saw the crackling power covering the baton-like weapon that descended over her.

By instinct, Rika raised the multi-colored round shield she was carrying in her other arm, only in the last second realizing that it probably wasn't a good idea to try and _block_ something that seemed covered by electricity before the attack connected.

Enough energy to kill an elephant…did nothing at all as the glowing shield absorbed it, the wide-eyed alien being thrown back by the sudden barrier of kaleidoscopic light that the cosmically forged contraption had projected, its open-mouthed owner staring in shock as her would-be-killer crashed against the nearest building and cracked the wall before falling down, out like a light.

"…holy shit, I can make weapons with super powers!" shouted the blacksmith with an almost giddy tone, before quickly shaking her head and turning around, glowing shield raised. "No, never mind that, I can overreact about it later! Now I got to go and make sure the idiot doesn't get himself ki…!"

"Lisbeth! Is that you?!" came a sudden voice almost from just above Rika, making her squeak and look in shock as a figure carrying other two became visible, jet-black and with mechanical wings on its back: Shino's 'armored' form. "Oh, thank God! Hecate had no idea how to find any of you with her systems between all the damn aliens running and shooting around, and these two's advice of _'Over there!'_ and _'No, that other way!'_ weren't exactly helping…"

"He-hey, don't go blaming us now, it's the first time we try and guide ourselves through this 'link' thing!" protested a blushing Yuuki as she and her sister jumped down from the human-suit hybrid's hands and landed beside the blacksmith. "Isn't that right, Aiko-nee?!"

"…Liz-san, if you don't mind me asking, did you steal that car to get here?" questioned the older of the Konno twins while pointing towards the aforementioned vehicle, making her younger sister blink before looking at the sweatdropping Rika in shock.

"Did you really do that?!"

"Do you even have a driver license?!" added Shino to the general disbelief.

"Okay, first of all, I don't want to hear that from the one flying around in the alien armor that's fused with her." deadpanned the brown-haired girl with a twitching eyebrow. "Second, there is no time to discuss silly things, we need to move and stop these aliens before more people get hurt!"

 **'…has anyone besides these Alliance soldiers been injured yet, though?'** philosophically pondered Hecate as the four girls rushed down the street, she and Shino once again invisible as they acted as the vanguard.

 _"I don't know, but there is no time to second-guess. They just took away all power from an important chunk of the country less than half an hour before New Year."_ reminded her human 'partner' with a grim tone, clearly aware of the dangers that could cause. _"We could be having a serious crisis in our hands with hundreds of people injured or worse soon if we don't…!"_

A missile screamed towards the, for anyone else's eyes, three girls running down the street, ready to blow them up. Without even blinking, the human-suit hybrid shot upwards, morphing her arms into weapons (One a blade and the other a rifle) and cleaving the projectile in half, easily 'tanking' the remains of the resulting explosion as she rushed forward faster, ignoring her friends' screams of shock as she easily saw the soldier that had shot at them from a nearby rooftop, disbelief, and confusion clear in his stance as he lowered the rocket launcher-like weapon he carried.

"Wha…?! AH!" started to shout the alien, a female judging by the voice, before something apparently dawned on her, hand rushing to her helmet's side as she quickly screamed through the comm. system. "Ghost Walker, they have the rogue unit on their si…!"

Three soundless shots exploded from nowhere into the night, one blowing up her weapon and the other two going through the lower part of her legs, the infantry armor offering no protection as the Star Hunter screamed in pain as she fell on her back.

 **'…3 shots, zero hesitation. Perfect aim, not a single even remotely lethal wound.'** softly commented Hecate with something akin to respect and awe, even as she felt Shino take a deep breath and look down to where Rika and the twins, still running towards the hospital, were looking in her general direction, worry reflecting in their faces. **'Amazing, partner.'**

 _"I took a decision. I'm going to change, and I choose to stand by them to do so. I have accepted I'm not a killer, but I will still protect them, no matter what."_ curtly replied the bespectacled girl while turning visible again, to dispel her friends' fears and also point to them that no more enemies were in sight. "Quick, I think we can just get straight to the building if…!"

 **'SHINO! I JUST DETECTED AND UNGODLY AMOUNT OF ENERGY SPIKING!'**

"Wha…?"

And that was when the world suddenly went white…

* * *

The moment the shots of the Tachyon Tanks crashed uselessly against the, until then, invisible barrier, no visible reaction was apparent on Elysium, not even a hint of surprise or disappointment in her face.

Kazuto, for his part, was frowning as he looked away from where he now knew Sugu, Silica, Asuna and the others had arrived, a mix of both anger and disbelief in his gaze, idly dismissing the small part of him cheering that putting a 'barrier' around the hospital had actually been a **plan** , and a good one at that.

"Really? That was your great plan to take down a comic alien god? Distract him then sacrifice yourself to hope some tank shell blew him up to oblivion?" questioned the black-haired boy while tightening the grip on his sword. "I don't know what irks me more, if you thinking that would have been enough to take down Yhmos or the fact that you would willingly throw your life away like that…"

"No one forced me to do this; I did it out of my own free will. I'm a soldier, and I know what my actions entail. My life was a meager price to pay if we finally could end the Tyrant…" whispered the alien girl while slowly moving to the side, her eyes sharp and never leaving the gamer's form, even as the Tachyon tanks, despite the chaos, fired uselessly against the barrier once again. "Also…if you truly got his powers by accident, how in Fate's name do you apparently know the Tyrant's name, when no one in my Universe does, Kirito?"

"That…!" started to explain Kazuto before his instincts flared up again, taking him absolutely by surprise when Elysium moved so fast she seemed to literally materialize before him, her Crimson Reapers ready to claw him open from face to groin.

Shining with unnatural light once again, Azure Vanquisher came to life, the 'Vertical' Sword Skill being executed faster than the captain's attack and driving her back with painful force, totally unbalanced as she apparently had been confident in getting even a glancing hit.

Her tail fulfilled her wish, lashing out in the last second and angrily piercing the boy's left arm just before she was thrown towards the roof's entrance, cracking it with the impact, and making the gamer scream in pain, almost letting go of his blade while he fell to one knee, eyes wide as he stared at the bleeding wound in his flesh, all the way to the bone.

 _"Fuck! Idiot, idiot! Must have remembered…rule number one of fighting tailed mobs…never lose sight of the tail…Ga-gah…Oh God, it HURTS…!"_ mentally screamed Kazuto as he clenched his teeth to silence himself, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes as he tried to concentrate his powers over the wound, hoping that they somehow managed to heal him automatically, as he had no idea how to do it himself.

"…well…will you look at that? Cough!" eyes snapping upwards, the black-haired boy saw how his opponent shakily stood up, with blood falling down the side of her face and all over her right eye's edge as she gasped for breath. "You are a master with those blades of yours…but you can't take a hit. I guess…that's something where I surpass you, eh?"

As he watched how the alien girl staggered forward, slowly raising her arms again, the gamer was painfully forced to accept the truth in her words. Fighting with his life on the line? He had no problem with that, as he had done so countless times for almost two years, staring Death in the face more times every week (Sometimes every day) than he would have liked for his lifetime.

Pain, though? That was something foreign to him, a concept that he was not familiarized with thanks to the way in which he had obtained his current 'skill'.

SAO had made him a warrior, a survivor…but without going through the physical suffering that one usually needed to overcome for that.

Inside the virtual world, there was no pain, just a dull sense of 'wrongness' when you were injured. While the threat of death and the terror it caused was ever-present, it didn't change the fact that those that were trapped within Aincrad never once experienced true 'pain' in the physical sense.

Thanks to the 'prison' in which Kayaba Akihiko had trapped him and other 9999 people, Kirigaya Kazuto had a level of ability and mastery over a sword that no person on the planet had had since the times were mankind still fought each other using such weapons, and a skill in the use of two blades that was totally unrivaled (As it was based on a style that wouldn't work at all outside a fantasy world), plus a body to make full use of such skills thanks to the powers Yhmos had accidentally left him…but with the same pain threshold than any 16 years old boy whose worst injuries were kendo-related ones when he was a kid or from having fallen from his bicycle when learning to ride it. And that had just had a chunk of his flesh and muscles split and pierced, not to mention his bone cracked, by a (Thankfully not actually poisonous) scorpion-like tail as wide as a short sword and moving faster than the eye could follow.

To summary, he was having trouble to even think straight as he used every ounce of his will to not let go of his sword, cradle his injured arm and twist on the ground in agony. Still, he could feel how, ever so slowly, the pain started to recede, the bone to mend and the flesh to knit itself back together, his powers restoring his inhumanly tough body and reminding him that, if he had still been a simple human, the pink-haired alien would have most likely ripped off half of his arm with that glancing blow, a testament to her strength. Just like the fact that she had more or less shrugged off taking a hit that would have crippled for life or even killed a normal human adult, and was even preparing herself to attack again.

Forcing himself to stand as he suppresses the nauseous feeling within himself, the boy knew he couldn't waste any more time with that pointless fight, not when each moment seemed determined in forcing him to do something he had sworn to never do again, and even less while the girls were fighting the rest of that girl's comrades, ones actually armed with truly futuristic wea…

The humming sound of an energy weapon powering up, so typical in sci-fi movies, drew the gamer's attention back to his opponent, eyes widening at seeing how she had stopped walking and was now shakily aiming her right arm at him, some sort of 'gun' having formed itself from just under her shoulder and taken the shape of a small 'cannon' just over her forearm, though the awkward way in which it was bending upwards was a clear signal that it wasn't meant to be used together with her battle-claws, much less when she apparently had problems even standing straight.

"This…I don't like using this thing to finish a fight…but it would be stupid of me to try and get close to you again now that I know what I know…" muttered Elysium while doing her best to aim her Star-Shooter towards the kneeling boy, his gaze fixed upon the plasma weapon as it finished charging. "I…will fulfill my duty…!"

"…I'm sorry, but I can't waste more time with this, not when my friends are in danger." bluntly replied Kazuto while staring right at her once again, his words making her eyes widen a fraction. "Goodbye."

As he said those words, the gamer fought against the pain clouding his mind and crafted the half-familiar Mystery of 'Teleportation' around him, ready to move through the fabric of space once again…when his instincts screamed harder than they had in the whole night (Though without the backup of his Aether Core this time, for some reason), making his breath hitch as the feeling of **(DANGER)** seemed to come from everywhere around him…

Something broke through his barrier as if it was made of glass, the Mystery that made it up going out of control and collapsing upon itself while the half-formed Teleportation one he had been crafting collapsed too, just an instant before completing itself, at the same time that the alien girl's head whipped to the side and her face morphed into a mix of horror and resignation.

"…mother…father…" whispered Elysium as she closed her eyes, lowering her arm in accepted defeat.

An instant later, a blinding light burned through Kazuto's vision, a thunderous roar of power and wrongness consuming everything around him into oblivion…

* * *

Since the instant when 'The Tyrant' had appeared, the tension had only been growing within the Star Hunter's HQ. And that had only gotten worse when communications with Captain Revenant failed just as she engaged the target, possibly because of the strange phenomenon in the shape of his symbol flying over the building known as 'Yokohama North General Hospital'.

What clearly no one was expecting, though, was for one of the soldiers stationed near the outer edge of their established perimeter around the hospital to report the sighting of an 'unknown flying unit with unknown intentions' barely 5 minutes after they lost contact with Elysium. Or that, upon failing to bring it down with a Retroid Missile Launcher, yet another and clearly hostile target would suddenly attack their unprepared ranks, followed by confirmation of several hostiles engaging everywhere and putting the whole plan at risk.

"What do you mean they have the rogue Ghost Walker unit on their side?! Hello?! Private Eruhem?! Dammit!" shouted lieutenant Rarun-Konik before slamming two of his arms beside the main console, making several of the engineers sitting there to wince at the rumbling sound that caused. "How the hell did things get out of control like this?!"

"It ssseemsss our dear captain truly underssstimated our enemy." muttered General Gahul Moria with a grim tone, no trace of his earlier annoyance or smugness remaining in his voice. "…droid, are the preparationsss complete?"

"The last report our in-site units issued, 30 Earth seconds before the first of the new hostiles appeared, indicates that they are, general." replied Flint while interacting with one of the main consoles through a holographic keypad, Kayaba standing silently near him while his gaze never left a very specific screen. "The soldiers were just waiting for Captain Revenant's confirmation before…"

"Execute the plan, now." the snake-alien's words made everyone in the command room to freeze for an instant, many heads shooting his way, claws, hands and/or tentacles stopping to interact with their assigned controls just to gape at him. "We have to finissssh the operation."

"What the hell are you saying, Moria?!" growled Rarun while turning to look at him, foregoing any protocol before the general's words. "Elysium still is…!"

"Captain Revenant knew very well the risssksss when ssshe proposed the plan, lieutenant Konik. Ssshe wasss the one who pointed out how her sssurvival rate was inferior to 10%, remember?" coldly reminded him Gahul while glaring his way, reptilian eyes narrowing behind his strange helmet. "And none of usss wasss counting with the Tyrant pulling sssomething like thisss off."

"But she has managed to hold her own against him for almost 10 minutes now, he may be even weaker than we thought!" argued back the 4-armed alien with just a small hint of despair on his voice, pointing at the screen that still showed Elysium's vital sign, stable if a bit shaken. "She may still have a chance of…!"

"We have no lessss than 6 confirmed hossstilesss that had been clearly cosssmically enhanced, maybe more, and that without taking into account the damn rogue Ghossst Walker unit being under their control now!" snarled the general while standing fiercely over his tail, actually managing to pull himself taller than Rarun just to look down at him with clear anger. "The Tyrant isss building an army of Ssservants by sssharing hisss power directly with an inferior ssspeciesss, sssomething he hasss never been recorded to do before, and becaussse of thisss one of the tanksss that wasss a key piece in the operation is unable to aim while trying to repel the assssault of a human moving fassster than any ssstandard high-ssspeed land vehicle! If we don't act know jussst becaussse you're letting your ssstupid persssonal feelingsss to protect her get in the way, the chancesss of the Tyrant essscaping are more than…!"

"Enemy reinforcements have arrived to the location of Tank Alpha!" frantically reported one of the engineers, making both officers freeze and turn around, their gazes snapping right at the screen Kayaba Akihiko was watching.

"Oh my." muttered the father of virtual reality as he saw a roaring Pina, with Keiko standing on his head, crash into the street where the aforementioned vehicle was trying to shake off Asuna's lunges, Suguha's flying form soaring over the tank and uselessly breaking her sword against its side before the screams of the crew inside grew even more frantic, their secondary weapons destroyed and their primary one useless without time to aim. "That's not something you see every day."

"Hey, lady boss, get me into the cannon! The cannon!" shouted Elucidator from his current place back in the young kendoka's pocket, making her look at him in shock. "I'm small enough to get inside from there, and I can stop it if I manage that! Believe me!"

"But…" Suguha bit her lips for a second before her gaze moved from the phone-bot to how Asuna stopped to catch her breath and Keiko tried to maneuver Pina to flip over the assault vehicle before it could aim at him, something difficult given it used and anti-gravity system instead of wheels. "…okay, here you go!"

"That's the spirit!" cheered Elucidator as the girl shot back down and quickly let him fall inside the Tachyon Tank's slightly overheated cannon, the small mechanic being raising his remaining arm as he slid off the dark 'tunnel'. "Allons-y!"

"Uh?! What was that sou…?!" the Alliance soldier that was saying those words fell silent when the panel main control under them burst into blue-white electricity, all the data on the screens being replaced by the image of a 12-pointed star.

Deep within the Tachyon Tank's machinery, where he had slid into after arriving at where the cannon auto-loaded before shooting, Elucidator stood, blue-white energy coming out of where his missing arm had been and connecting everywhere around him.

There was something neither Kazuto nor Suguha had ever stopped to think about the two small beings to which the boy had granted 'Life' and they now lived with: The fact that they weren't _just that_ , but more.

After all, if all that the black-haired boy had done was 'animate' their previously not-living selves, all that should had done would have been given them the ability to 'talk' and 'think'. None of the siblings, neither any of their friends, had ever stopped to think that it was 'weird' that Fuu could suddenly move and sprout 'legs' from her plushy body despite having no bones, or that Elucidator could 'transform' into a form that allowed him to freely move around too, despite his original body obviously not possessing the means to do so.

It was because both of them had inherited a very, very small 'spark' of Cosmic Energy when Kazuto, even if accidentally, gave them the gift of Life. They weren't 'Anchors' per se, but, in a very weird sense, both of them were like his 'children', even if they could only use the power within them in very specific ways 'compatible' with their 'nature'…which was exactly what the phone-bot was doing in that exact moment.

If Elucidator had had an actual face, it would probably have been twisted into a shit-eating grin…so he instead made one appear on his screen-torso.

"I'm SO going to enjoy this." were the phone-bot's last word before cables and wires around him shifted and twisted, 'connecting' into his small body.

Outside, much to the girls' surprise, the Tachyon Tank suddenly stopped moving.

Then, without warning, a sound that anyone familiar with a certain saga of sci-fi robots could recognize echoed as the vehicle suddenly 'shot' upwards and _changed_ , pieces rearranging themselves and moving out of the way in ways they definitively hadn't been originally designed to do, the screams of the three soldiers inside filling the air as both of them 'fell out' of the changing tank, one of them believing he was going to be crushed for a second…only to find himself in a mechanic 'hand', shakily looking upwards towards its owner.

A vaguely spheric and camera-like face, almost seeming like some sort of mechanic cyclops, stared back at him, the symbol of the Universal Alliance it used to have on the base of its cannon (Which was now part of its other arm, like a hand-fused weapon, and was aiming at the other two frozen soldiers) having been replaced by the 12-pointed star of their sworn enemy in the _Transformed_ tank.

"…I didn't know he could do that." muttered the wide-eyed Suguha with a tiny voice, everyone else around her (Pina included) having similar faces.

With a rumbling voice, Elucidator chuckled.

"Sorry pals, you're not shooting with this thing anymore."

And then the signal of the soldiers' cameras cut off, leaving the stunned onlookers in the Star Hunters' HQ unable to know if they had been killed or the feed from their helmets' cameras had just been blocked by another means.

"We…we have lost Tank Alpha, sirs." shakily informed one of the engineers, the 3-eyed face behind his helmet filled with horror.

"They have a mechanoid…that can hijack other pieces of technology…" whispered Flint with a mix of awe and fear.

An instant later, Gahul was rushing forward, the unmoving and shocked Rarun not even trying to stop him this time as he roared the command that would shape the future.

"INITIATE THE PLAN, NOW!" for an instant, no one seemed to move or react at the general's order, before he snarled again and continued talking. "It'sss our only chance! If the Tyrant makesss an entire army like thossse Enhanced Humansss we won't have any hope, and thisss Universsse will be doomed too! GO, NO!"

That finally seemed to spur everyone into action, commands being issued as orders were shouted left and right while calculations were executed.

"All systems being rerouted to Tank Omega!"

"The load's burden was supposed to be shared between both tanks! With only one, the crew…!"

"We have no time to get another one in there. It has to be now!"

"Just got the confirmation from Omega's crew…they will do it."

"Acknowledged! May Unreality have mercy of their Existences…Authorization confirmed! All Magicians' Units, do it, NOW!"

Receiving the order, the robbed figures, all of them 'brothers' within their mystic circles despite belonging to wildly different species, stopped the chants they had been 'singing' for hours now around each of the 12 Aura Scouts that the Star Hunters still had with them, all of them spread around key points surrounding the prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, Yamanashi and Tokyo in the shape of (Ironically) a star.

There were a dozen magicians around each Scout, all of them having been channeling an extremely powerful Mystery in a magic circle surrounding the machines…and, now, accessing to ALL the electricity the Aura Scouts had been blocking since they started the plan to overcharge said 'spells', turning the energy into raw mana.

Given that this was the year 2024 (2025 in some minutes, technically) and that this was the power of an important chunk from one of the most technologically advanced countries on Earth, that was **a lot** of energy to be used.

"This is in the memory of Master Alzu-nei!" screamed one of the Magicians in the designated Aura Scout 4 as the sheer amount of power they were trying to redirect to activate the forbidden craft seemed about to burn him and his brothers in mystical fire. "Die, Tyrant!"

Finally, with a roar that made the world scream and a thunderous wave of energy that was felt through the entire country, with the 12 Aura Scouts acting as a medium, all the power of the Forbidden Mystery was redirected through the fabric of space, concentrating in a single instant on the tip of the Tachyon Tank designated as Omega, which had never once stopped firing 'uselessly' against the Tyrant's barrier, until the enemy had just stopped paying it any attention, considering it less annoying than even mosquito bites…just as they had planned.

Just for this moment.

If both tanks had been available to channel the energy, the crew in both of them would have had a 46.89% chance of getting away from them after firing. In the current situation, though, the 3 soldiers within Tank Omega had barely enough time to mutter _"For the Universal Alliance!"_ after they 'fired' before the machine overloaded and exploded, unable to withstand the insane amount of energy for barely more than a few seconds.

However, it didn't need more than that to accomplish its job.

Moving as fast as a bullet, a soccer ball-sized 'sphere' of chaotic Mystic Energy shot forward, carrying on its core an infinitesimally small _thing_. What the Star Hunters had gambled so much to 'summon' forth.

In less than a second, the 'bullet' crashed against the barrier, the chaotic Mystic Energies it was made of making it collapse as they overloaded the Mystery, also unmaking any other that was being crafted within its range in that instant while falling apart…

Which was also within the plan of the aliens from another Universe.

For, in the end, the only true purpose of the 'sphere' had been to **isolate** what lie within, to act as an impossibly powerful and twisted 'Wall' between Reality itself and the small, barely the size of an 'i's dot, substance. The 'weapon' the Star Hunters had bet everything in that it would be enough to finish the weakened Ancient Ruler they had chased across the Omniverse.

A small fragment of the very Antithesis of Reality.

In less than what any mind could perceive as time, free from the sphere of Mystic Energies isolating it from Everything, the fragment of Antimatter met the _Matter_ of the world. The most basic unit of what Reality was made of crashed with its Omniversal opposite.

 **ANNIHILATION** occurred.

With a thunderous roar, the world screamed as an insignificantly small part of the Universe was Erased, the energy released by the 'explosion' consuming everything in a white blinding light as almost half of the Yokohama North General Hospital literally _ceased to be_.

0.678 seconds later, the shockwave hit, sending everything and everyone that wasn't a building within a 500 meters radius of the hospital flying through the air as if they had been hit by a car at full speed, structures all around cracking while every crystal or similarly fragile material in Yokohama shattered on thousands of pieces.

Alarms, screens, cries and chaos (Even more than what had been happening since the alien soldiers started shooting their weapons) filled the city as, slowly the energy started to return.

Back in the base camp of the Star Hunters, Kayaba Akihiko stared at the darkened screens, speechless, a dark oppression filling his soul even as the silence that had been filling the command room for several minutes was broken when secondary images indicating the status of the area and the little info they had started to appear.

"Structural damage qualified as catastrophic in the immediate area of the detonation…"

"We have confirmation of the objective structure's annihilation within the expected parameters. The soldiers that were on the outer edges of the explosions are recovering and getting the unconscious ones. They solicit immediate extraction…"

"Several injured confirmed, but only the crew of Tank Omega is a confirmed casualty among our units. Still no word from the crew of Tank Alpha or sighting of the Tyrant's servants. We can't confirm any of them as casualties yet…"

"Civilians casualties and injured are unknown, but probably within the pre-estimated acceptable numbers. All damage was within our calculations…"

"Report from the Magicians squads from 1 to 12. They're exhausted, but okay. The Aura Scouts…not so much, as our calculations predicted. They're failing severely and about to break down. We will be losing the Detection Network in the next Earth minute or so…"

"No spike or signal of Cosmic Energy detected anywhere in the area…neither of Captain Revenant's suit." finally spoke Flint with a hesitant tone, slowly turning around to look towards the two remaining officers. "I…I think the operation was a success, but…"

"…Elysium…" whispered Rarun while clenching all 4 of his fists, his body shaking slightly within his armor. "…I'm sorry, Orion…"

"…the girl wasss foolisssh, and clearly out of her depth in thisss whole sssituation…but ssshe accomplissshed her duty till the very end." neutrally muttered Gahul while turning around, slowly turning around to stare at the trembling lieutenant. "Her father would have been proud, I guesss."

"…yes. He would have, wouldn't he…?" muttered the 4-armed alien…before a beeping from a nearby screen drew their attention, the engineer near it gasping slightly as he pushed several buttons on his holographic keypad.

"It's a transmission from a member of Alpha Tank's crew…! He and the other two soldiers are alive…and reporting the servants of the Tyrant are too! They're shaken and injured, but standing up and…!"

"Call for one of the remaining Magicians to warp me up there, and tell the Ghost Walkers to follow me!" growled Rarun while turning around and rushing out of the command room, anger replacing the bitter acceptation his voice had held but a moment ago. "I will make sure those monsters stay down!"

"…and there he goesss, to vent anger ssstupidly in a way to get sssome sssort of 'revenge' for our dear captain, I guesss." muttered the general while shaking his snake-like head. "Hope he doesssn't get himssself killed, though. I could certainly ussse hisss sssupport for the shitssstorm that'sss coming…"

"…are you really fully aware of what you have done?" at those words, Gahul turned around to look at Kayaba's emotionless face, a metaphorical eyebrow (Given that he didn't have any) raised towards the human. "This will bring consequences, serious ones. Even if you hadn't done… _that_ , at the end, there is no way you could have thought no one would see your men. The whole country will be in an uproar by the morning."

"Yesss…it will mossst likely be." calmly answered the general while moving before the scientist, his reptilian gaze never leaving his unblinking one. "Even before detonating that makessshift Antimatter Bomb, hell, even before the Tyrant appeared with that flassshy sssign of hisss, we already knew more than one human would spot our troopsss…but it doesssn't matter now. The Tyrant isss dead and our missssion accomplissshed. We have no more reassson to remain in this world, but no meansss of returning home either…and we certainly won't be letting our tech fall in your ssspeciesss' handsss. We have learned enough of you to know that would be a catassstrophic idea."

"…what will you do, then?" evenly questioned Kayaba Akihiko, making the snake-like alien snort.

"Talking or trying to end thisss 'peacefully' won't work and I think you know that very well. Your race isss too ssscared of what they don't underssstand, and their fear isss only surpasssed by their greed. One way or another, they will try to dessstroy usss and take everything they can for their own purposssesss…so we won't let them." sentenced Gahul while turning around. "It'sss asss sssimple asss that."

"Are you planning to kill everyone that tries and come for you?"

"Pleassse…that would be the equivalent of a ssslaughter. None of your normal meansss of attack would be able to even ssscratch usss, then your leadersss would be forced to ussse more 'drassstic' methodsss, and everyone would end up losssing then." the general waved the man's fears as if they meant nothing at all, shaking his head. "No…we will make sure everything is sssecured, then we will wait until your government 'findsss usss', and by that I mean we will let them know where we are. Then, when we're sssure all their eyesss are on us…boom. We, and all ussseful remainsss of our tech, will vanisssh in a blast of nothingnessss."

"…are you all seriously okay with dying…just like that?" muttered the creator of SAO with an honestly curious thought, biting his lips at the implications of it all.

"Of courssse not. Many here would probably prefer to live, othersss (Like me), to go out in a blaze of glory, fighting and taking down our enemiesss with usss…but there isss nothing for usss to live for in thisss planet, and no true enemy to fight anymore. Your ssspecies are little more than apesss with some mildly dangerousss weaponsss compared with the eternal abominationsss we have faced, you're not worth dirtying our weaponsss." giving the man a last look, the snake-like alien started to slither away. "You know, I had half a mind to jussst let you and that crazy female companion of you die here with usss, but I guessss honoring that girl'sss word is the leassst I can do for her sssacrifice. In the morning, one of our magiciansss will warp both of you to an abandoned area clossse to whatever city you choo…"

"I…I can't believe it!" Flint's sudden shout caught everyone's attention, eyes snapping towards the droid as he frantically operated a screen before him, as if afraid of accepting what he was seeing. "I'm getting a signal from Captain Revenant's suit!"

"What?!" half-screamed Gahul while rushing back towards the consoles, as if unable to believe it.

"She survived that explosion?!" questioned the shocked Kayaba while walking near Flint, his eyes scanning the screen he was looking through, but unable to understand more than a couple lines of data and the map of Japan it showed, even as excited whispers of hope filled the command room, more droids and engineers trying to find the same signal. "That's…beyond impressive."

"I know! Maybe she jumped off the building in the last second or…! Wait…something is wrong." the cheer and relief that had filled the droid's voice was suddenly replaced with disbelief and worry. "Her signal…is all the way at the other side of…"

Flint was unable to complete his phrase, though, for, in that moment, they heard IT.

Just like everyone else was hearing it, echoing into their very souls like an unstoppable wave, like a never-ending stream of thought being sent directly into their Existences.

The beginning of what would truly mark the world's change.

The Scream.

 **(…DON'T…WANT…TO…DIE…!)**

* * *

The first sign that Elysium got that she was alive was the pain. Idly, she realized she had most likely blacked out for a short time because of some sudden impact against a hard surface, and that she probably had a couple of ribs broken.

The second signs were both the wind she felt caressing (More like whipping against) her body and the chaotic sounds echoing in the distance, which made her slowly raise her head and stand up, blinking in shock at her new location.

She seemed to be atop some tall and imposing red and white structure (Though it was hard to discern the colors in the dark), the alien girl standing barely a meter from the edge at a truly terrifying height, probably 300 meters or more, in the middle of a massive human city. Her location wasn't exactly a public place, though, but an outer circular platform that stuck out just before the pointy 'tip' part of the imposing structure. In the distance, the chaos that filled the darkened city was starting to change as, one by one, lights started coming to life again, energy being restored to the massive metropolis.

"Wha…how? Where…?" vaguely muttered the captain, trying to dig from her memory why the place looked familiar.

"Tokyo Tower. I brought us here an instant before we blew up…or whatever the hell that light was supposed to do…" came an unexpectedly weak and tired voice, making Elysium's head snap to the side to see Kazuto's form lying against the cold metallic structure almost 15 meters from her, looking pale and barely able to stand, his sword barely helping him to do so as he tried to catch his breath, sweat drenching his body. "As for the how…I had to order Reality to do it because whatever the fuck your friends did broke my Mystery apart and there was no time to attempt making another…"

And the effort for doing that was showing, once again. The boy had overused his powers in more ways than he had ever before, even improvised a couple on the spot, and then had once again used the ability he had promised himself and everyone not to, that of giving Reality an Order.

Of course, he wasn't exactly sure how ordering **"GET US OUT OF HERE!"** ended up with them in the heart of Tokyo, atop one of its most iconic structures, but he wasn't complaining. It was probably because of all the manga he read as a kid that had epic battles taking place there.

Now, however, he was feeling like crap, his consciousness swimming back and forth and the need to throw up, pass out or break down crying waging war within himself to see which would manifest first. Also, his earlier wound had closed, but the state in which that last stunt had left his body made him still feel its phantom pain pulsing all over his left arm.

If he somehow managed to get down from there without slipping and falling to his death, he would be honestly surprised.

"Yo-you had enough power to affect Reality itself already?! But…that means…." all color drained from Elysium's face, the truth of their misunderstanding finally dawning on her. "You…you could have killed me…and all of us…anytime."

All this plan, all of their preparations, were based on the idea that the Tyrant was too weak to do anything but move around and hide in the shadows, recruiting humans and powering them up to aid him because he had not enough power to do so himself openly. That was what they had deduced from the first encounter of Rarun in the hospital, and, even after part of her somehow accepted that the boy before her perhaps really wasn't the Tyrant, she had still fought him under such assumptions.

All of that had apparently been wrong, though. It seemed that they had arrived at the planet, at that Universe, much later than they had originally calculated when 'following' the defeated Ancient Ruler. His powers had already recovered more than enough for him to, if he so wished so, crush them all like ants.

The only reason that hadn't happened was because, truly, the human boy before her had somehow managed to steal the powers of the cosmic entity older than even her planet…and because that same boy, despite having clearly faced death and fought with his life on the line before, was naïve enough to not want to kill her or anyone else. Not even when they were actively trying to kill him.

And…and also…he had…

"Dammit…this hurts so fucking much…" groaned Kazuto while trying to concentrate…before his eyes widened at the sound of claws snapping open, his gaze slowly moving to look at the shaking and barely standing form of the alien girl, diamond-shaped pupils slowly moving towards him, a mix of rage, regret, shame, and determination filling them. "…you have got to be…fucking kidding me…"

"You…you shouldn't have saved me. You should have let me die in that Antimatter explosion…because I still have a duty to accomplish. You're still…too dangerous to let live." for the first time since she had actually joined the Universal Alliance, true regret and hesitation were filling the captain's words, but she still took a step forward, ignoring the pain in her body to raise her Noble Reapers. "And now, I'm at the perfect position to truly end you…"

"…you are…still…going on about that?!" screamed the gamer as he GLARED at Elysium, his eyes burning as 12-pointed stars filled them, rage once again overwhelming him. "You can barely fucking stand! You know I have the power to…to kill you, if you try and charge at me again! Not to mention you have destroyed a damn hospital and damaged the entire city around it! You should be fucking thankful I'm just letting you go!"

In truth, Kazuto was just saying that to try and calm himself down, even if didn't seem so. After all, even the naivest person would be unable to ignore the possibility that more than one person had truly died in the earlier blast. Even if he was so optimistic to think the few personnel within the hospital had been safe because of being on the lower floors, the power behind that 'Antimatter' they had released would have most likely severely injured anyone within the blast's radius. Perhaps even killed someone. And the girls had all been dangerously close…

 _The girl of bluish-black hair smiled sadly at him, regret and resignation in her eyes as she fell forward, as if they had lost all hope after seeing their other friends die, the monsters surrounding them stopping him from getting close as he screamed her name, only for her body to shatter into polygons under their relentless assault…_

…taking deep breaths while clenching his teeth, Kazuto forced himself to calm down, reminding himself that he could still feel them all through his link and banishing the memory of his life's darkest moment to the depths of his mind, slowly dispelling the angry aura that had surrounded him, which had even given the alien girl pause, and staring right at her.

His eyes were human once again, filled with untold sadness and just a small part of rage.

"I don't want to hurt you. Get lost." coldly spat the boy while turning around.

And for an instant, Elysium felt tempted to do just that. She was tired, in pain, with doubts filling her mind more than ever before and with the situation having escalated out of her control in way too many ways. No one would have blamed her if she just let herself fall down and wait for someone to retrieve her…and then the image of her father staring at her the day she joined the crew of the Star Hunter shot through her mind.

 _"I'm proud of you, Elysium."_

A second passed, even as the gamer kept walking away over the metallic edge of the platform, trying to see if he could use his powers once again without falling unconscious.

Then, the alien girl screamed and, casting all self-preservation away, crossed her claws one over the other, Kazuto freezing in place as the feeling he had felt earlier that night, just before the girls' arrival interrupted them, came back full force. That of his very Aether Core screaming in warning…

In that same moment, within Requiem Universus Online, Yhmos paced back and forth in the control room, doing something with a holo-screen while keeping an eye on how his daughters were still frantically trying to contact the boy's talking phone, the likeliness of Yui having an attack of hysteria just growing by the second despite Tomoe having just informed them that energy was quickly returning everywhere…when he finally managed to establish the communication he had been trying to.

 **'What the…?! Who the hell is hacking this frequency?!'** came Hecate's voice through the holo-screen's blurry image, making the heads of the MHCPs present snap in their father's direction. **'No one should…!'**

"There is no time to lose with useless confusion, living suit! Answer me, what's the situation?!" interrupted the Ancient Ruler with an urgent tone, idly aware of how Yui and Strea arrived at his side before anyone else, worry filling their faces. "I and my daughters have been literally in the dark since we lost contact a while ago!"

 **'Wha…?! Yhmos?! This is not the best moment, Tyrant Jerk, we're kinda in the middle of something bad!'** replied the Ghost Walker suit while Shino's voice screamed something in the background, explosions and shots filling the air. **'Those bastards just blew up a bomb of something very nasty in the middle of the city that injured several of my partner's friends and we have no idea where Kirito is after he was caught in the center of that blast…!'**

"Wait, he was in the middle of it?!" screamed a worried Yui while operating two screens she had opened at some point, eyes filled with horror. "I'm just seeing how everything looks like from here and…oh, by Cardinal…"

 **'Yeah, it's pretty bad, but not as much as it seems, and he's okay, don't worry. Yuuki and Aiko confirmed it for us a bit back.'** reassured Hecate with a serious tone, making Yhmos' two oldest daughters breathe a sigh of relief and the rest to look at them with encouraging looks, even if worry once again filled them as the sounds of battle seemed to grow in volume. **'We were trying to see how badly injured everyone was before trying to go and find him, but then this jerk with 4 arms of lieutenant Konik came screaming about how he would avenge captain Revenant's death and started trying to kill us. Wouldn't have been too bad if he didn't have all the others Ghost Walkers backing him up and almost everyone was half-dead! Fate, the bastard didn't even let us tell him the girl is most likely alive, because, knowing Kirito, he most likely teleported her with him when…'**

"…wait. Did you just say…Captain Revenant?" everyone in the Throne Room froze, the virtual girls suddenly having a strange feeling at the absolutely shocked and, as impossible as it seemed, slightly scared voice of their father. "As in…Elysium Syrom Revenant?"

 **'Uhm, yes? I mean, it seems she was the one in charge of this whole thing, and she was the one fighting Kirito before…'**

"FIND THE BOY!" Yhmos' desperate scream silenced the living suit and made his daughters flinch back in shock. "NOW!"

 _" Come." asked the captain to Nothing._

 ** _Something_** _answered, emerging from beyond at her call, and manifesting through the claws in her hands._

 _Kazuto slowly turned around…_

 **'Wa-wait, what?! What has gotten into you?!'**

"You heard me! Forget the fight! Leave the rest of the humans there if you have to, but find the boy right now!"

"Da-daddy, calm down!" tried to tranquilize him Strea when none of the others seemed able to react at his outburst or his outrageous demand. "Wha-what's wrong? Do you know the girl Hecate-chan just mentioned…?"

"Yes! I know her because she's a unique existence in my Universe, one of the subjects I once gathered data about as part of one of my oldest investigations!"

 **'So, she's super strong or something? Big deal, Kirito has your powers, remember? And even in the worst case scenario, he can just run away or something like that…!'**

 _The boy's eyes widened. Around Elysium's arms, there were no longer claws. Now there just was SOMETHING._

 _Something that didn't belong to this Plane of Existence, taking the vague shape of orange (And even that color wasn't clear, as it seemed to be shifting back and forth every few seconds) clawed hands…no, of open maws ready to devour._

 _Something that wasn't part of the natural order yet was one of its most basic parts._

 _Something that did not belong in Reality yet was a part of it._

 _Something that no inferior being should be able to call for…and yet, there it was._

 _Something that his human mind couldn't understand, and yet, he knew that, if he tried a bit more, he could just grasp its name._

 _It was…_

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" this time, the scream coming from Yhmos' seemed to almost shatter the screen before him, panic and horror filling his voice. "ELYSIUM SYROM REVENANT IS AN INSTRUMENTAL-TYPE CONCEPTUAL WIELDER!"

 _…a Concept._

 _"This is my [Determination]." spoke the alien girl as her eyes opened, glowing the same way the Conceptual Weapons she was now wielding did, the Concept of [Determination] roaring hungrily as it ate away at Reality. "And this is how I fulfill my duty."_

 _Faster than the mind could understand, Elysium 'clawed' forward with her left arm…_

 **'Ah…what?'** muttered the shocked Hecate with confusion, even as Tomoe gasped in horror, quickly opening a new holo-screen and calling forth some of the old entries she had registered of her father's universe.

"Against me, even weakened, that would mean little because I would be able to end her before she called IT!" continued the panicking Ancient Ruler, ignoring the living suit's question. "But, against that foolish boy, it could spell doom for us all if he doesn't get over his naivety and…!"

Yhmos froze.

Back at Tokyo Tower, Reality was _eaten away_. Against all logic, against the Laws that defined how the Universe worked, Kazuto suddenly found himself standing just before the alien girl, the very Space that had separated them having somehow been… erased.

Elysium's right arm was raised and descended faster than he could blink. By instinct, the boy used all that remained of his strength to raise his sword, which glowed as it tried to activate a Sword Skill, ready to counter an attack with another…

And Azure Vanquisher, Shinozaki Rika's, Lisbeth's, greatest creation, was cut apart into four parts as if it was wet paper, the cosmically enhanced diamond blade offering no resistance as the claw-shaped Concept cut it apart together with reality itself.

The gamer didn't even have enough time to feel shocked before the Conceptual Claw kept going, [Determination] cutting through flesh, muscle and bone as if they weren't there, blood splashing everywhere, some of it vanishing in contact with the Concept of Reality while the rest covered both the metal of the structure and Elysium's face and torso, the claw continuing its path until it cut apart a chunk of the metallic tower and the captain finally stopped.

Without fanfare or anything especially dramatic, like a death in some action or supernatural series would have had, Kirigaya Kazuto's corpse fell apart in a gory mess, most of it falling off the tower together with pieces of metal and 3/4 of his sword, mostly a mass of bloody and unrecognizable flesh.

The rest remained there, 'staring' at the alien girl as [Determination] vanished from her hands.

In that moment, the Mystery keeping Kirigaya Midori and Kirigaya Minetaka within a different Flow of Time than the rest of the world broke apart; the startled couple blinking in confusion before standing up, as, in their eyes, their children had vanished from the spot where they had been a second ago.

At the same time, back in Yokohama, six girls stopped dead in their tracks, all thoughts of fighting for their lives or protecting their friends suddenly ceasing when they felt something within them vanish. Then, they all fell down, eyes blank and unmoving, leaving a suddenly panicking and confused Hecate/Asada Shino against a squad of equally confused alien enemies.

Both beside them and back in the Kirigaya household, Elucidator and Fuu gasped, twisting in place before their very beings screamed in pain.

Finally, within Requiem Universus Online, Yhmos the Ancient Ruler raised a hand towards the Throne Room's ceiling before falling backward, unresponsive of his daughters' cries as his avatar's form flickered in and out of existence…

…silently, Elysium stared towards the bloody remains of the person she had just killed, barely even blinking when the energy restoration reached the area and Tokyo Tower was once again bathed in light.

The alien girl's face was a mask of sadness, pity, and exhaustion. She felt drained, both physically and emotionally, all of it just adding to the tiredness that using her Concept caused.

In the end, her Trump Card to catch the Tyrant off guard had worked way better than expected, as it had actually 'ended' the 'threat' instead of just injuring him enough for the Antimatter to destroy him, which was the original plan…but it also wasn't what had truly happened at all.

For the first time since she decided to become a soldier like her father, all that the captain wanted to do was fall to her knees and cry, hoping that her mother would come to console her.

She had killed many before, yes. She was ready to do anything for the cause, for the greater good of the Universe…but she had never actually been forced to kill an innocent with her own two hands.

She had never had to kill someone that was clearly a good person, just because of something they had never wanted in the first place.

Had her father done that before, a part of her mind that wasn't screaming wondered?

"…I know it doesn't help at all, but…I'm sorry, Kirito. Those powers…they would have ended up twisting you. There is just so much time anyone can live being so powerful without being corrupted…that's how it works. I wouldn't even trust myself with them…Your universe is safe now, all the people in your planet too and…and…" looking away, the alien girl shook her head even as her tail dragged itself across the ground, suddenly releasing a mirthless laugh. "…Fate, look at me, trying to justify myself to a corpse because I feel bad for having killed him. Some Captain of the Float I resulted to be…"

Shaking her head once again, the captain fully turned around and started to drag herself away, fumbling with the console in her suit's arm to see if she could restart it (As, apparently, it had stopped working at some point), doing her best to not look back at the bloody remains that were still up there with her.

She had just managed to make her suit's beacon work again when she felt IT, her entire being freezing.

A distorted voice, echoing into her very soul…

 **(…die…)**

"Wha-what…?"

 **(…don't want to…)**

Elysium's head snapped back.

 **(…to die…)**

Gasping in shock, the alien girl saw how something was emerging from the bloody remains, blue-white POWER screaming into the world the vague shape of a skull with tendrils, countless black 'lines' filling it like veins of corruption…

 **(I DON'T WANT TO DIE!)**

The Scream echoed, like an unstoppable wave, broadcasting the words…no, the thoughts into the very souls of every living being within the country and beyond, reaching even the oceans, and all the way to the Chinese, Russian and Korean's shores closest to it.

Animals went crazy and people screamed, hands shooting to their heads as they tried and were unable to stop hearing the Scream.

For the first time, Humanity knew and was forced to fully accept its true Insignificance within the Cosmos, as a force of something that was Beyond them shook their minds.

Elysium Syrom Revenant was unlucky enough to be just at ground zero of such event, the alien girl screaming while her ears, mouth and nose started bleeding…

And then all the thing's tendrils shot towards her, burying themselves INTO her body, as if her armor wasn't even there, and all the way to her very Existence, slowly dragging the monstrous and otherworldly mass of power inside of her.

Never stopping her screaming, acting almost by instinct, the captain clawed towards her neck, as if trying to cut it open. Then, seemingly by miracle, she managed to cut through her armor and 'grab', with the tip of one of her claws, what she had been trying to without tearing apart a chunk of her neck, quickly closing her clawed hand around it.

A small glowing jewel, shining with esoteric power inside, ready to be released…

For a moment, it seemed that the girl was about to crush it…and then she just threw it behind her as hard as she could.

The next second, one of the tendrils of cosmic power pierced her right eye and her scream intensified as her diamond-shaped pupil turned into a 12-pointed star…

And then Elysium Syrom Revenant's body 'exploded' into cosmic dust, leaving nothing behind to show she had been there except some pieces of broken armor as the mass of power shot to the heavens, illuminating Tokyo Tower for an instant before vanishing altogether.

Not even half a minute later, a Magic Circle spawned into existence barely 3 meters from where she had stood, the fierce form of General Gahul Moria shooting out of it as he brandished what seemed like a whip of energy, crackling with power as he looked everywhere and used his tail to keep his hold in the unexpectedly high place.

"Captain Revenant?! Elysssium?! Anssswer me, girl!" roared the snake-like alien while looking everywhere, his reptilian eyes finally stopping where a massive mark of burnt metal and blood could be seen on the metallic 'ground'. "What in Fate'sss name…?"

"General Moria, do you copy me?!" came Flint's frantic voice through his helmet's communicator as he slithered forward, his eyes roaming over the small and broken pieces of armor near the 'mark'. "You shouldn't have gone, sir! We have barely recovered from whatever that massive psychical wave was and lieutenant Rarun is just barely on his way back, he was forced to abandon combat against the Tyrant's servants after the 'Scream' stunned him and the walkers enough for the rogue one to do something that…!"

"Droid, be sssilent, pleassse." interrupted the general while grabbing one of the armor pieces, passing it over his terminal as he de-activated his whip, frowning as he got the confirmation of its previous owner. "…it ssseemsss thingsss have gotten from bad to worssse."

"Wha-what?" stuttered the droid even as Gahul looked around the platform, as if searching for something. "What do you mean, sir…?"

Still not answering, the eyes of the snake-like alien caught sight of a small glint under the moonlight.

Slowly, he moved forward and, without hesitation, raised the small jewel before his face, the cut strings that it had used to serve as a 'necklace' having gotten entangled in the metal and prevented it from falling off the tower.

"…Captain Revenant isss dead." emotionlessly spoke the general, making Flint give the robotic equivalent to a gasp. "And the Tyrant isss ssstill alive, that 'Ssscream' could only have been him, pluss thisss area is brimming with the remainsss of Cosssmic Energy. The operation wasss a failure, in the end."

"…a-and the Core of Yurandi, sir?" questioned the droid with a small voice, even as Gahul kept examining the jewel in his hand with pondering eyes. "Is it there?"

A moment of silence passed…before the snake-like alien calmly put the jewel inside a compartment on his arm's armor.

"No, it'sss gone." stated the general with the same neutral voice as before. "It wass mossst likely vaporized together with Revenant when the Tyrant did…whatever he did to her."

"It can't be…"

"We have no time to wassste in sssentimentalisssmsss, droid. Have a Magician warp me back to the camp before the humansss recover enough from the chaosss to ssspot me." demanded Gahul with a serious tone even as he stared at Tokyo, his eyes narrowing behind his helmet. "We have lotsss of work to do, and thingsss are jussst about to become much harder."

"Ri-right away, General Moria…"

Even as he started to feel the familiar Mystic Energies wrapping around his body to move him through Space, General Gahul Moria gave the human city one last glance before whispering some words.

"Happy new year, Earth…it may very well be your lassst one…"

On the dark side of the Moon…golden fire burned impossibly in the void, the armored golden figure suddenly coming to life before it simply shot out of the darkness and towards the Earth, like a living shooting star.

If sound could echo into the void, one word could have been heard from it, as it started to enter the atmosphere.

 _"Ely…sium…!"_

…in a place that was and at the same time wasn't, a strange sphere high above the clouds…a blue-white 12-pointed star pulsed.

In an instant, countless black 'lines' started to fill its insides, spreading through it all and pushing the blue-white back, as the being within shook…

Just beyond the edge of Reality, [LIFE] 'blinked' in curiosity, turning to look in that Universe's direction.

On Its Throne above Everything, [FATE] momentarily glanced the same way, before dismissing the event as unimportant.

And somewhere within the Omniverse, [DESTINY] turned around, tilting 'his' head to the side.

Waiting…

* * *

 **Lesson 11** **:** _Within Reality, only a Concept can oppose another. Such are [FATE]'s laws._

* * *

 **Next** **:** I AM YOU

* * *

 **Omake: Star hunters' Log 7**

 _General Gahul Moria_

Proud warrior of the Nagaralium race, a reptilian species famous for their violent methods and propensity to solve everything through a fight. Used to be a great, if barbaric, leader among his people before he faced Admiral Orion Caius Revenant, who thoroughly defeated him, earning the officer an eternal respect from the Nagarali that no one had ever gotten before. When the Universal Alliance was formed, he demanded to his planet's council to be put under the command of Orion. 1 Mega-Cycle later he was serving aboard the Star Hunter.

His species doesn't handle atmospheres with great quantities of oxygen very well, so he's forced to wear his special suit most of the time. While he can survive outside it on Earth's atmosphere for a while, he would quickly get sick without a steady supply of sulfuric gas in his lungs, most likely dying after 4 Cycles.

 **Age:** 98 Human Years (Rough Equivalent)

 **Military Rank:** Great General (From the 26th Troop of Extermination)

 **Main Abilities:** Officer-Class Battle Suit (Nagaralium Version). Reptilian Tail (Strong enough to bend steel and let him crawl even upside down). Poisonous Fangs (Strong enough to kill a full-grown Earth 'elephant' in less than a minute, his helmet possessing a special configuration to let him use them through it). Nagaralium War-Form (Increased strength, mobility, speed, and reflexes, leaves extremely tired afterward).

 **Weaponry:** Plasma War-Whip 'Anaconda'. Personal Gravity Bombs.

 _Last entry. Current events make making this log no longer possible, as time can't be wasted anymore. This is Observation Droid 45920-F…Flint, closing this file._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** …and with that, the second arc of this story is over, yay :D!

Well, that was it. Shit got realer, everything went to hell, and now all is in motion and out of anyone's control. The second arc, 'Ascension', is over, and we head into the mad frenzy that will be the last one 'Godhood'. We have one Interlude before that, though, where the not-shown scene of Rarun engaging the girls will be shown together with the aftermath of all these events, while finally finishing setting everything for the next arc. Misunderstandings on both sides have brought forth tragedy, and the presence of 'things from beyond' in the world is kind of in the open, so, what will happen now? Look forward to it!

…which is where the 'bad' news come in. See, as I only have one week left in my vacations before going back to study, I want to spend it 'taking it easy' and also studying some things I really need to get better at, so I won't be writing much (Or maybe at all) through the next days, and so you can expect the Interlude to once again come out in the 'slow' pace that means I'm back at the institute. Sorry about that :(

Moving onto less annoying and happier themes, did you know the birthdays for the remaining characters of SAO's main group were released some days ago OwO? That's right, folks! Now you can go to the Wikia and finally know Suguha's, Rika's and Shino's exact birthdates (Sugu's is April 19th, so I know what I'm going to celebrate that month XD)!

Also, hoping you enjoyed the 'Concept' part, I wanted to make it truly dramatic. Did you think those explanations about that which Tomoe recorded as the 'Omakes' of Arc 1 would be for nothing? Hah, think again! Also, for any One Punch-Gamer's fans that are reading this, you also got another small 'clarification' before the sequel is even written! Remember those crazy and 'strange' things that several members of the UHA were doing by the end of the fic, even if they didn't really know what they were? Well, now you know what those were; congratulations!

…anyway, I think I already said enough. Got to run before the cliffhangers-haters kill me :3

See ya next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	14. Interlude: I AM YOU

Well, okay, once again we're here, ready to rumble!

So, not really much to say this time before leaving you with the chapter, except one thing that really surprised me about last chapter's reviews, and that was some of the reactions to what Elysium did.

I mean, I know as a writer that I can't make everyone happy, thinking that is foolish, there will always be someone who disagrees with what you write, especially if you write Fanfiction, but I was truly surprised to see how some of the readers reacted so negatively to her 'killing' Kirito. I mean, I understand that's not something that would make anyone give her a medal, but I thought I had done a good job portraying her character and the reasons why she felt she HAD to do it, and then the regret she felt during and after the deed. Some of the reviews, though, made me feel as if for them I had written her as some Sugou-level bitch that was laughing all the way and enjoying cutting him to pieces O_O

Talking with a friend made me realize that this may have been just an initial reaction, that obviously people are going to care more about the character they like than the 'unforgivable' actions of the 'evil' OC, but truly, I thought I would at least give some deeper thoughts about her and her actions than just _'I'm glad that she died for what she did'_ or so. Hopefully, this chapter will help a bit with that, while it also officially closes the second arc and leads us into the final one of this mad story.

Without more words, I leave you all to enjoy the fic. Have a good time, hopefully!

 **PS:** Sadly, my Beta will be busy for some time, so you will have to bear with just my own corrections for an undetermined time. Sorry.

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Interlude: I AM YOU**

 **December 31st, 2024. Yokohama, Kanagawa. 23:55…**

Yuuki Asuna coughed harshly as she opened her eyes, her vision swimming as she tried to remember what had happened.

They had been 'winning', if one could consider anything in a situation where alien invaders were actively attacking a building on a city to try and kill your…best friend, and then you and your other friends, as positive. Thanks to Elucidator's unexpected, uhm, 'possession' of the damn tank she had been trying to bring down for almost 10 minutes, they had managed to neutralize and disarm the 3 aliens that had been inside it.

Suguha had been already urging them to hurry and either leave them be or knock them out so as to they could go and help Kazuto…when everything had suddenly gone to hell.

To be precise, a sudden absence of sound and a bright white light coming from the exact opposite side of where they were, two streets away from the hospital, had consumed everything, and the rapier-user had barely any time to see with shock how a bit more than the entire building's upper half _vanished from existence_ before the shockwave reached them.

Asuna had never known that the expression 'like being hit by a wall of solid sound' could be used literally until that moment.

The last thing she remembered before blacking out were screams and pain as she felt like her body had suddenly been punched away by an especially big Floor Boss, just that this time she could actually feel how much that hurt. Now, though, she idly realized she couldn't move and that everything around her was dark. She was starting to panic about it when a slightly distorted mechanic voice suddenly asked something.

"Are you…okay…?"

"…Luci-kun?" whispered the chestnut-haired girl as the 'darkness' around her receded…and gasped at realizing it had just been the body of the tank-robot covering both her and a coughing Suguha, Elucidator shakily standing as it looked at them.

Given that he was missing half of its non-canon arm and that several pieces of his armored body seemed to have blown up or fell apart, it was a sight that was more than a little unsettling. And just under him, the unconscious (But alive) form of the 3 aliens that had previously been inside his 'new body' lay, unmoving.

"Oh…you're both okay, thanks the Boss. He would have never forgiven me if I let something happen to any of you…"

"Lu-Luci-kun, you're hurt!" shouted a worried Suguha the moment she could stand up properly again, eyes wide as she stared at the damaged robot. "What…?!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. This body is 'borrowed', and I'm a robot in the first place, remember? I'm not feeling any pain, though this sucks extremely." calmed them down Elucidator while waving his cannon-arm around. "After all, I didn't even have this body for even 10 minutes before they wrecked it…"

"…wait, what about Silica-chan?!" suddenly exclaimed Asuna while looking around, before stifling a gasp after doing so. The young kendoka followed cue a moment later, her hands shooting to cover her mouth.

The streets and buildings around them looked like the setting of some zombie apocalypse movie, everything cracked or outright broken. While there didn't seem to be any collapsed building, the ones closer to where the Yokohama North General Hospital had been looked as if the smallest disturbance would make them fall apart. Pieces of glass and debris littered the streets as far as their eyes could see, several cars were lying upside down or embedded into walls…and the massive form of a blue-feathered dragon could be seen not far from them, half-crashed into the side of a building and weakly moaning as he opened his wings, letting a gasping Ayano Keiko jump down and turn around to look at him in horror.

"PINA!" cried the young girl while hugging the dragon's side, even as the other two 'Anchors' ran towards her, Elucidator following close behind. "Oh God…I'm so sorry, you had to protect me again…"

"Kyuu…" weakly moaned Pina while smiling softly at his friend and master, before a light of cosmic energy enveloped him and he was once again reduced to his normal size, which the dagger-user was quick to hug with all her might. "Kyururu…"

"I-I was brave back there? Tha-thanks, but still, you…"

"It's not your fault, Silica." softly spoke Suguha while putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "None of us could even react to that explosion; there is no way you could have done anything. Hell, I and Asuna would have probably ended up quite hurt if it wasn't for Luci-kun here…"

"Suguha-san…" gratefully whispered Keiko while looking at her, before her eyes widened in a mix of shock and horror at seeing the landscape around them. "O-oh heavens…this…ho-how could they do something like this?!"

"I don't know, but I don't think I will like aliens…ever." coldly spat Asuna while walking to them, glaring at the area around her with clenched fists (Idly hearing screams of panic and confusion in the distance) before her gaze snapped towards where the hospital had been, as if just realizing something. "Wait…wasn't Kirito-kun atop that building before it was disintegrated?!"

The other two froze, horror dawning on their faces even as Elucidator also looked towards where the aforementioned building had stoop, less than a tenth of it still remaining, cracked and broken so beyond belief it seemed a miracle it hadn't collapsed upon itself already.

"Bu-but…does that mean…Kirito-san…?" Keiko seemed unable to finish her question, her grip on Pina tightening as her eyes shot over the empty space where the 12-pointed star of electricity had been.

"N-no…Onii-chan, please…no…" started to whisper Suguha as she started to shake, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. "You can't leave…"

"He's okay!" suddenly shouted familiar voice, making the three girls, one dragon and one robot almost jump in place, turning around to see 4 familiar figures running towards them. "Seriously, haven't you noticed it by now?!"

"Li-Liz?!" shouted a surprised Asuna before quickly shaking her head. "No, way, it's obvious you and the rest would come too, but…what are you talking…?"

"You can still feel him, right? I certainly do!" interrupted Yuuki while stopping at her side, looking into her eyes with a serious gaze before slowly looking back towards where the hospital had been. "…I hope Dr. Kurahashi wasn't…wasn't there…"

"I'm sure he was one of the first people that evacuated and was relocated after the previous 'terrorist attack', Yuu." muttered Aiko while putting a comforting hand on her twin's shoulder, also sparing a sad glance towards where the hospital both had spent most of their recent lives had been before looking seriously back to the chestnut-haired girl. "And what my little sister is saying is, well, can't you still feel it? Our connection to Kirito?"

Surprise, then shock and finally realization shot through the three girls' faces before they quickly concentrated in the invisible 'bond' that joined all of them together, like a strange 'galaxy' that was ever-changing and ever-moving.

It felt weak and tired, maybe even in pain too…but the 'center' of their galaxy, the glorious 12-pointed 'star' to which they were all connected as 'Anchors', was still there.

"Yeah, seems like you just noticed it." smiled Rika at seeing their faces relax, Suguha and Keiko all but falling to their knees in relief while Asuna just rested against her rapier. "He got away from that…but probably not unscathed."

 **'Even if he's hurt, he still has Yhmos' powers, so he shouldn't be in any real danger.'** suddenly spoke the living suit that was 'half' of the only girl that still hadn't said anything, startling them. **'Got to say, though, I wasn't expecting my…-old comrades- to detonate a makeshift antimatter bomb in the middle of a populated area…they must be more desperate than I thought…'**

"Antimatter?! Are you serious?! That's what THAT was?!" half-shouted Shino with utter disbelief, quickly realizing by the looks everyone was giving her that she was the only one that fully understood the implications of her suit's declaration. "Ugh, just…maybe we should go and look for him? We're all lucky as you wouldn't believe, especially you three, of having been outside the range of that when it blew up, or there wouldn't even be a _memory_ of us left."

"Okay…that's scary, alright." whispered Asuna while shaking her head. "But don't worry; I'm pretty sure we were all thinking the same thing, right?"

"Of course." firmly declared Suguha while standing up, a determined look on her face now. "We will get to where Onii-chan is right no…!"

"A-are you sure?" the interruption coming from Yuuki took everyone by surprise, the young kendoka looking at the younger of the Konno twins in shock. "I-I mean, it's not as if I'm not worried about Kirito too! Bu-but…he has all those powers and, well…don't you think we should…try and help the people here…?"

At her words, the group of girls blinked and looked around at the clearly damaged city, a wave of guilt and doubt filling them when the not-so-distant screams and shouts (Now accompanied by the sounds of alarms and emergency sirens) once again entered their perception. Somehow, they had been so worried about their own problems that they hadn't even considered that they weren't the only ones affected by it all.

"I…I hadn't thought of that…" muttered Rika while biting her lips, looking around with a nervous look. "D-do you think we should…?"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." firmly declared Shino while her 'helmet' receded from her head, everyone looking at her in surprise. "Sorry, it's not that I don't get why you would want that, really, but think about it like this: If a bunch of teenage girls with strange 'superpowers' showed up out of the blue just after what happened, how do you think the authorities would react?"

"That's…" started to say Keiko before shutting up, biting her lips at the full implications hit her.

"Not to mention the fact that someone could identify or take a picture of any of us if we're careless, and that would led the problem back to our families." inwardly, the bespectacled girl felt a bit guilty at saying those words, even it was just to protect everyone, because she wasn't really in any danger of being 'exposed' thanks to Hecate. "I know it may sound selfish, but it's too much of a risk to…"

"No, Shino-chan, you're right." calmly agreed Aiko, her words earning another round of surprised looks from everyone while the girl put a hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Yuu, right now, the best we can do is finding Kirito. His powers may help fix this in a way we couldn't just by exposing ourselves directly…"

"…ye-yeah, you may be right." finally agreed the younger of the Konno siblings, hesitation changing into determination as she looked at the rest. "C'mon, let's go and find…!"

"Hey…what are you doing?!" Elucidator's robotic voice made everyone freeze and their gazes to shot towards where he was pointing.

There, the three previously unconscious aliens, about which they had forgotten about, had apparently woken up and crawled away, one of them currently looking at them with one hand over his helmet's side, shouting in fright at the tank-robot's words and doing his best to stand together with his friends.

"…quick! They spotted us!"

"Shit! The systems I was using to jam their signal must have been damaged in the explosion!" cried Elucidator while ignoring the retreating aliens and turning to look at the shocked girls. "We need to leave; they must have called for backu…!"

His words were brutally interrupted by the sound of Space being Warped, the screaming form of a 4-armed figure in armor shooting out of a 'portal' in the air and slamming all 4 of his 'hammers' on the tank-robot's back.

"This is for Elysium, you damned servants of the Tyrant!" roared Rarun as Elucidator's cracking form fell forward, everyone still gaping in absolute shock just as seven other figures jumped out of the distortion, landing near them.

Some were humanoid, a couple quadrupedal, some had tentacles or claws instead of arms or legs…but all of them were clad in the same black 'suits' that the group quickly recognized, their silver visors fixed on them for an instant before they vanished from the world's perception.

Shooting forward as their hands morphed into weapons, the Ghost Walkers got ready to end their enemies in one quick…!

"NO!" roared Shino while shooting forward, vanishing from vision and perception too as her hands morphed into impossibly long canons, which she used to actually _clobber_ the shocked Walkers as she pushed them away from her friends, Hecate willing their 'helmet' to appear again as they started shooting energy blasts towards their quickly moving enemies. _"You won't harm them!"_

"Shino-chan!" shouted Yuuki while reaching out to where the bespectacled girl had vanished, before her instincts flared and, in a show of reflexes that was beyond even what the SAO Survivors present could do, made her jump backwards, a blade materializing in her hands while other 4 started 'floating' around her, the ex-tester of the Medicuboid glaring daggers at the figure that had been about to crush her with his hammers. "You…!"

"Servants of the Tyrant! I'm lieutenant Rarun-Konik, from the fallen Nebula-Class Battleship Star Hunter, one of its 3 surviving high-ranking officers! And in the name of our leader, Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant, I will send you now to reunite with your wretched master, to the depths of Unreality where she dragged him with her!" proclaimed the 4-armed alien while raising his massive weapons and towering over the wide-eyed girls. "Do not try to ask for mercy, as you lost the right for it together with your humanity when you chose to serve the…!"

A loud explosive sound abruptly cut off the lieutenant's words, sending him flying and his weapons out of his hands while, on the background, the invisible clash between the outnumbered and outclassed hybrid of Shino/Hecate and the other Ghost Walkers started to visibly destroy the street.

Lowering his mostly destroyed cannon arm, Elucidator's body released something akin to weak chuckle, too damaged to even stand from his half-crawling position.

"You…talk too much…bastard."

"Luci-kun!" shouted Rika while moving to his side, looking over the many damaged and smoking parts of the slowly rising robot with worry, even as the others kept gaping at the fallen form of Rarun, currently half-embedded against a building at the street's other side. "You okay?!"

"Can't feel…pain, remember? Just…lots of internal damage…don't think this body…can take much more punish…LOOK OUT!"

Elucidator's warning came just in time for Suguha and Asuna to move, finally overcoming their earlier surprise and reacting in time to block two of the suddenly roaring alien's fists, his armor's back scorched and smoking even as his helmet was quickly cracking.

Both girls' projected weapons quickly did too, to their surprise, even as they struggled to keep their footing against the lieutenant's monstrous strength, the road cracking under their feet from the pressure.

"FOR ELYSIUM…KILL YOU…!" snarled the 4-armed with a crazed toned, his helmet falling apart to reveal a raging face with a too-wide mouth filled with angular teeth, four eyes shining with a strange reddish aura. "BUMDAR GARHK!"

"What the hell happened to him?!" growled Asuna as she fell to one knee.

"I-I don't know, I think Luci-kun's attack may have done something to him when it hurt him…!" replied Suguha while putting all her strength behind her katana, going so far as to push the blade's flat side with her open palm, unwilling to fall down. "Bu-but he let go of his weapons, we may be able to…!"

"Watch out!" shouted Yuuki while moving between them, all her flying swords shooting to both sides in time to save the girls when their enemy seemed to remember he had two arms unoccupied and tried to crush their skulls, twin blades stopping each fist and slowly cracking under the pressure. "Kuh…! This is not good; we need to help Shino-chan!"

"UMHAGM DO GARUT! ELYSIUM OSAKM!" growled the crazed Rarun in answer as he pressed on, starting to overwhelm all three girls. "URASUM KIERK!"

"Why is this guy suddenly talking gibberish?!" shouted Rika while slamming her glowing shield-barrier on the mad lieutenant's side with all her might, throwing him off balance and letting Suguha, Yuuki, and Asuna to fall back even as Aiko jumped over her, 'shooting' at the roaring alien's back with her projected dagger-pistols. "He was speaking Japanese almost perfectly a minute ago!"

"I think it may have been his helmet translating for him." deduced the oldest of the Konno twins while aiming to the gaping and smoking hole on the back of Rarun's armor, pushing down the urge to vomit in favor of shooting at the scorched flesh, making the berserker alien snarl in pain as he fell back. "I don't think he can even understand us now!"

"Freaking great, as if he wasn't totally impossible to reason with already!" groaned the blacksmith as she spun around to deliver a hit with her 'crappy' hammer to their enemy's head, looking with the corner of her eyes how Keiko helped the other three to recover their breath. _"Okay, as soon as we knock this guy out we go and find a way to help Shino-san deal with…!"_

Rarun's eyes glowed as his face moved to the side, his head shooting forward to meet the hammer head on. Projected 'metal' cracked in a thousand pieces from the unexpected head-butt.

Shinozaki Rika was still too in shock at what had happened to even try and raise her multicolored shield, the roaring lieutenant's forehead slamming against her torso and sending her flying back through the air, a horrible cracking sound making everyone look in horror even as blood flew from her mouth.

"LIZ!"

"NO!"

"LIZ-SAN!" screamed Keiko louder than anyone else, the guilt of having been the only one that hadn't tried to engage the 4-armed alien (In favor of protecting her weakened dragon-partner) consuming her as she saw the oldest girl of the group crash on the road back-first, her eyes widening in horror as she saw Rarun roar and, ignoring the panicked shots Aiko was sending at his back, crawl forward inhumanly fast while raising one of his arms, ready to crush Rika's head into pu…"NO! DON'T TOUCH HER!"

With that scream, Ayano Keiko 'uselessly' extended her right arm towards her friend. At the same time, Pina's red eyes glowed.

Cosmic power surging through the Anchor Link, the young girl's form suddenly glowed, the phantom limb of a massive dragon covering her own arm and SLAMMING the shocked lieutenant on the ground with enough force to crack the road from side to side, knocking him out.

Everyone was blinking and slowly turning to look at the frozen Keiko as the phantom limb broke away into shining dust, the girl suddenly panting as her clothes seemed singed and the clips that held her hair into twin-tails fell apart into ashes, leaving her hair free to fall down.

"…woah." was all that Yuuki could say, even as Asuna reacted and ran towards her long-time friend, Suguha doing the same towards the kneeling Beast Tamer.

"Liz, hang in there!"

"Keiko-chan, you okay?!"

"I…did I really just do that…?"

"Yes, you did, but we don't have time to wonder how, Shino-chan needs our help!"

Meanwhile, the hybrid of Asada Shino and Hecate had been _really_ in need of help for a while now. Her initial advantage at taking her foes by surprise had quickly vanished as the difference between the girl and her opponents became clearer.

She was not only outnumbered but totally _outclassed_.

Sudden changes in tactics, new attack formations, seemingly communicating their intentions to their comrades with just an insignificant gesture…

Compared with them, with true soldiers that had earned the title of 'Ghost Walkers' through training and years of warfare, it was more than obvious that she was just a 15 years old girl way over her head. Hell, she was sure that she would have died several times already if it wasn't for both Hecate (Being 'alive' making her clearly superior to the Standard AIs the aliens had) and her own experience 'hunting' Ghost Walkers in Requiem Universus Online, even if the latter was just useful for the basics of their abilities and theoretical basic tactics, which they were quickly changing once it became obvious she somehow knew them.

Such was the difference between real thinking soldiers and the virtual imitations Yui and her sisters had created from Yhmos' information.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Hecate had been talking with someone, apparently the aforementioned 'Space God', for the last seconds, though she had mercifully separated her 'mental voice' from Shino's own, so that they could still fight their extremely weird 'silent fight' (It was both bizarre and sinister to be moving and clashing endlessly with enemies that you weren't really 'seeing' with your eyes and that generated no sound when they fought) without dying. Yet another attack, an energy shot or maybe an actual 'bullet' of metallic origin, crashed against the dark-haired girl's shoulder, making the hybrid hiss in pain for an instant before clearly feeling how the pain subsided, the flesh and muscle were knitted back together and new 'black liquid metal' emerged to replace the skin, quickly remaking it at almost cellular level even as the 'armor' proper regrew too, covering the 'healing' wound.

Shino was still debating how disturbing it was that she _didn't_ find that disturbing when _everything_ happened.

First, her enemies stiffened, probably a result of seeing their boss being slammed down into the street by some sort of ghostly dragon-claw, and two of them shot in that direction, either to rescue their leader or to attack her unaware friends taking advantage of their distraction.

 _"Girls! N…!"_ started to scream the hybrid, forgetting they couldn't hear her with 'Ghost Mode' active…when she felt IT, freezing on the spot.

A feeling of sudden 'Silence' echoing through everything, the other Ghost Walkers also stopping dead in their tracks while the group of nearby girls stiffened, eyes wide.

Not far from them, Elucidator (Who had finally managed to stand again), took a step back, before screaming in something akin to pain, sorrow, and anger mixed together, the tank-robot clawing at his own chest as if trying to tear something off.

Then, light seemed to vanish from all the girls' eyes, the teenagers falling down on the ground like puppets with their strings cut, Pina crying out for his master as he vanished in cosmic dust.

Silence reigned on the street, neither the suddenly totally outnumbered and panicking Shino nor the alien assassins seeming sure of what had happened or how to react.

 **'…Yhmos! What's going on?! Hey, you AI girls, answer!'** the sudden sound of Hecate's voice made the young girl react, realizing that her 'other half' must have accidentally broken their 'mental blockade' in reaction to whatever had happened. **'Hey, partner, something is very…! Holy shit, what happened to everyone?!'**

 _"I-I don't know, but we can't waste time finding out, we need to get them out of here!"_ mentally shouted Shino as she dashed forward, de-activating Ghost Mode almost by instinct just as the Ghost Walkers finally started to react at the unexpected change in the battlefield. "Quick, we're going to need…!"

 **'SHINO, DOWN!'** commanded the living suit with a panicked howl, purposefully paralyzing parts of their shared body to make them fall to the ground face-first. Then, without even giving the shocked teenage girl time to understand what had happened, the armor around her head thickened noticeably and the visor vanished, leaving her in almost total darkness as Hecate's virtual face appeared on her HUD with closed eyes and clenched teeth.

A second later, Asada Shino understood why she had done so.

 **(…DON'T…WANT…TO…DIE…!)**

The Scream hit, the bespectacled girl roaring in shock and pain as she felt the psychic wave smashing against her human mind.

She was lucky, though, as, in that moment, she was the ONLY being on Earth that had a mind split between two beings, one of which had been created with psychic isolation also in mind, and as such had reacted in time to 'protect' them as best as she could.

And so, Hecate joined her pained scream, the living suit sharing the pain and saving her other half from the fate the other Ghost Walkers experienced (Reducing the pain from 'unbearable' to just 'horrible') as their own AIs, unable to react like living beings, were unable to handle the strain and let them fall to the ground in agony, their suits twisting and seemingly unable to properly maintain their forms as they became visible and the black metal covering them flowed around like liquid a second before trying to reform itself the next.

Shino was just vaguely aware of the distant screams and howls of agony other people in the city seemed to be making when The Scream stopped, fading away into the distance as its echo seemed to dissipate outwards.

She didn't even need to hear a word from her partner before jumping back to her feet, visible once again, the metal around her head reforming into her normal 'helmet' and redistributing itself properly again as she rushed towards the nearest of the fallen Ghost Walkers, extending a hand towards it.

"Get…it…!"

 **'Don't need to…tell me…!'**

Acting as one, both pained beings that formed the hybrid let part of the arm's armor extend and latch into the unstable suit of the Ghost Walker, Shino forcing herself to suppress any guilt about what she was doing as the alien (Which looked like some sort of purple lizard with humanoid hands and no tail) gasped as his 'armor' flowed towards the running form, Hecate easily overriding and suppressing the non-living AI, taking all control over the nanobots that operated the 'pseudo-sentient' metal.

The bespectacled girl allowed herself to do the same with two more of the still pained and stunned Walkers before deeming it enough, desperately not thinking if any of the 3 aliens she had left 'naked' behind could or not breathe in their planet's atmosphere without them before she kept running towards her fallen friends, the mass of metal she was dragging through her arm squirming and shooting fast over her body as her living suit properly integrated it into them, reforming its shape.

One step, she was nimble and barely any taller, dragging a heavy mass that unbalanced her heavily. The next second, the road cracked beneath her colossal feet, Shino barely showing her surprise at how she now was wearing (Or more like 'was', given it was also part of her) an extremely thick armor, 3 and a half meters tall and almost robotic-looking, arms as thick as horse's necks and hands bigger than three human heads put together opening and closing before her eyes as feet the size of trashcans crushed the concrete as she skidded to a halt before her friends.

"I should SO be freaking out more about this." commented the girl as she let her arms change shape and surround her, thankfully still breathing, friends like a small platform, raising them at chest level in a weird mix of a hug and a swept. "But taking them somewhere safe and discovering what the fuck happened takes priority."

 **'Couldn't agree more, partner. Still, with all the extra weight, both them and the extra ton of Aximak metal I'm carrying and still distributing, I'm not sure if we're gonna be able to get away in ti…'**

"The…boss…" came the gasping mechanic sound beside them, almost making the bulky hybrid jump as they turned around to see Elucidator's damaged frame standing up, looking straight at them. "The boss…needs help…fast…"

There was an instant of hesitation, even as both minds of the same body thought at inhuman speed.

 _"Hecate, do you think you can…?"_

 **'Maybe, but he's going to have to do the heavier work. And we're gonna have to synchronize our minds fully for it to work.'**

"Elucidator-san?" asked Shino as she moved to the robot's side, a strangely determined tone in her voice. "How fast do you think you can go?"

Seconds later, the remaining Ghost Walkers slowly started to move from where they had fallen, the one closest to the fallen form of Rarun raising his 3-eyed head in time to look in shock how what seemed like a Tachyon Tank with several lines of black metal keeping it together and a bulky 'jetpack' shot to the heavens just over them, flickering in and out of vision for a second before turning completely invisible.

Aware of the approaching sounds of screaming humans and emergency sirens, the Walker was quick to rush towards his lieutenant's side and contact HQ, demanding an urgent warp back to base, his gaze not missing the form of the three groaning and naked Walkers without armor.

Everything had just gone from bad to worse…

* * *

What was this?

What was that?

What was IT?

…was this what it meant to be dead? Was that it? Had she died and this confusing madness was what awaited her, instead of the uncaring oblivion of Unreality?

Was this her punishment for killing an innocent to try and protect the Cosmos?

Her thoughts were just starting to sink into that negativity…when something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, she was somewhere, she was someone once again, she had a body, she…!

…she was tiny. Small, a child, and wearing strange clothes she didn't recognize. At her side, a small-sized shinai ( _Wait, how did she knew that word? Bamboo Sword? What…?_ ) lie in silence, even as she stared with a mix of fear and frustration towards the elderly man with a much bigger practice sword, who was looking at her with a mix of fury and disappointment.

Her grandfather ( _Wait, what? No, that wasn't right…she never knew any of her grandparents, why…?_ ) seemed about to scream something else when someone suddenly interposed herself between them.

A small girl of dark hair, holding yet another shinai in her hand, trembling slightly but with her hands tightly closed.

"I will do it for both of us!" shouted the new girl with a tiny yet determined voice, surprising both her and the older man as she stared at him defiantly. "I will keep practicing kendo, hard enough to make it count for me and Onii-chan, so…please, leave him be, Ojii-sama!"

For an instant, it seemed as if the elderly man was going to angrily lecture the little girl, but, after a moment of silence and staring right into her eyes he just wryly smiled, saying something about her having the true spirit of a swordsman in her unlike _him_ , and saying how their training would double in intensity from tomorrow onwards before exiting the dojo ( _Again…that word, how did she knew what it…?_ ).

'She' was feeling both angry, disappointed and relieved at the same time. After all, even if she was happy the newcomer had got 'her' out of that mess, it felt wrong. 'She' was the big brother ( _What_ ). Protecting Sugu was supposed to be 'her' job ( _Who?!_ ), not the other way around.

In that moment, though, 'her' little sister ( _No…that's wrong, I don't have any sisters!)_ turned around, looking at 'her' with concern-filled eyes, reaching out with one tiny hand towards 'her'.

"Are you okay, Kazuto-oniichan?"

Looking deep into 'her' reflection on Suguha's bluish-gray eyes, the almost feminine face of a black-haired boy stared back ( _…how?_ ).

 _His_ face.

"Yes, Sugu, I'm fine…and…thanks." answered 'her' with a clearly, if young, male voice.

That was who 'she' was right now.

 **Kiri** gaya Kazu **to.** The lonely child who liked games ( _But…I'm Elysi…eh? That…name…_ ).

 **Kirito. The Black Swordsman…**

 **(ETERNITY)**

 **(NOTHING)**

 **(ANCIENT…)**

 _He gasped as he woke up, trying to recall where he was. Trying to make sense of anything._

 _Currently, she was looking out of his room's window, atop one of the highest towers of the castle_ (…what? What castle? How…?). _The night sky greeted his sight, filled to the brim with stars as it always was in Yurandi. Just the thought that most of those stars probably had worlds on their own filled him with childish wonder and a longing desire._

 _"One day, I want to see all of them…" whispered the child_ (Wait, that's not my voice! It's…young…and…female…?) _as he looked back towards the capital city not far from the castle, small light and the sounds of festivities reaching his ears as he sighed with a small pang of sadness, imagining other children happily playing through the streets together._

 _'He' couldn't do such a thing, though, for 'he' was the Crown Princess of Yurandi_ (What?! I'm not…princes…eh?!). _Planetary Royalty had duties and things that were expected of them. They couldn't just play outside with the 'normal' children._

 _Though this had been drilled into 'his' head since the moment 'he' had use of reason, it didn't make the 7 Mega-Star Cycles_ (Years? Hold on, how do I know…?!) _old understand it any better. Idly, 'his' gaze moved over the impressive room, with the ornate bed, beautiful toys and a stack filled with books from across the whole star system._

 _Thinking about how 'he' would change it all for having 'friends', the little princess moved towards the bookshelf and, expertly, grabbed a slightly thick volume, moving back to the bed and putting it on 'his' knees before starting reading._

 _"Deca-Cycles ago, in a planet whose star no one remembers…"_

 _That was how 'he' still was when, time later, the door opened, making him jump in surprise before smiling brightly._

 _An unknown emotion was filling 'him'. And even so, it didn't seem unknown for the 'person' he was in that moment._

 _It was in that moment that 'he' finally became aware of 'his' tail, the small and bone-like appendage moving happily from under 'his' sleeping dress as 'he' rushed towards the door and threw her arms around the inhumanly_ (Alien…) _pale woman's waist._

 _Sheer happiness and childish joy filled 'him' with the action, something that he_ (Myself…) _couldn't remember truly feeling ever, to this degree._

 _"Mother!"_

 _After all, while Kirigaya Midori hadn't been unfair or unloving towards him, the feelings 'he' was experiencing in that moment told him that the woman that was in truth his aunt couldn't be compared to the pink-haired alien that kneeled to hug 'him' back…_

 _"Oh, Elysium, staying awake to read again?" despite the scolding nature of her words, nothing but a bright smile could be seen in the woman's face, the diamond-shaped pupils and pink hair of her daughter, same as hers, reflecting on her more 'normal' eyes. "Sigh, Fate above, what am I going to do with you…?"_

 _…after all, comparing them, as unfair as it was, would be like comparing a warm fireplace with the sun._

 _Such was the care and love that Queen Iridium Paylin of Yurandi had for her daughter, the person he himself 'was' right then_ (No way…don't tell me…!) _._

 _Elysium Syrom Revenant, Princess of the Planet Yurandi_ (It can't be…) _._

 ** _1st Captain of the Float Elysium Syrom Revenant. The Noble Reaper…_**

 **(COSMOS)**

 **(VOID)**

 **(RULER…)**

* * *

The first thing Asuna became aware of when her consciousness returned was the unusual cold she was feeling. The second was that she seemed to be inside some sort of metallic cabin that was quite cramped, given the several unconscious females inside it, and that was shaking way too much for her liking…

Wait, what?

"Where…? What happened…?" mumbled the chestnut-haired girl as she shakily stood up, doing her best to not fall down again as she noticed her friends lying unconscious around her.

"Ah, Asuna-lady! You woke up too?" the sudden voice coming from all around her made the former sub-commander blink as she looked around, confused. "Lady-boss and Shino-lady are out here, so don't worry, everyone is okay!"

"Luci-kun?" muttered the confused Asuna while heading towards what seemed like the 'hatch' of the strange cabin, ready to open it. "Where…?"

"Wait, no, don't just open…!"

The warning came too late, and, as such, the chestnut-haired girl was unprepared for the sudden blowing wind pulling the hatch away from her and almost literally dragging her outside. She didn't even had time to start screaming before black metallic 'tendrils' shot out from the vehicle's exterior (Which she now realized it was Elucidator in 'tank form' but with some kind of giant jetpack and a dark half-liquid 'armor' keeping him together), dragging her back towards it while others quickly closed the tank's hatch once again, letting the wide-eyed Yuuki heiress realize that they were flying high, _very high_ , literally above the clouds.

As soon as her body touched the tank's surface, part of the black metal surrounded her feet, letting her shakily stand while using the strange giant jetpack (Which seemed 'fused' to the tank just over where its broken main cannon started) as support…just in time for said mechanical contraption to 'talk' to her.

 **"Hey, Asuna-san, you okay over there? I didn't hurt you, right?"**

"What the…Shino-san?! Is that…you?!" shouted the shocked Asuna while staring at the metallic contraption.

 **"Yes, more or less. Sorry if my voice sounds weird, I and Hecate are kind of like in full synch to keep Elucidator like this…"**

"Yeah, it's a bit weird and I feel like I may fall apart any moment now, but it's fucking cool!" commented the robotic being as they started to swerve left. "Now please hold on, we should be arriving at the estimated location very soon, and then we need to start searching!"

"Arriving? Arriving where? Searching what?" asked the confused rapier-user…before a familiar voice coming from the bulky hybrid-jetpack other's side made her almost jump in surprise, again.

"Can't you feel it, Asuna?" whispered Suguha without looking at her, the youngest Kirigaya seeming strangely pale and trembling slightly, though it didn't seem to be because of the cold. "Or to be precise, can you feel the _lack_ of it?"

For an instant, the older girl was confused by the statement; then gasped at realizing just what her friend was talking about.

Lonely. Empty. Hollow.

That was how she was feeling inside in that instant, but she had been too busy freaking out to notice. The beautiful 'link' connecting her together to the rest, which she had grown so used to that she hadn't remembered how 'horrible' it was to feel 'normal'…was gone.

…no, not gone. The link was still there. She could still feel the others…but just faintly, weakly, and that with them being just literally under her feet, inside Elucidator's tank-form. As if the 'light' that illuminated that imaginary 'galaxy' all of them were part of had gone out, and in doing so taken away most of the energy that kept them connected…

That was it. It was gone. The massive 'star' that burned brighter than any of them, that gave them a sense of comfort and security, that made her feel all warm inside when she gazed at it through the link, the center of that 'universe'…had vanished.

"What happened?!" demanded Asuna while looking from one person to another, dreading the possible answer but at the same time needing it more than anything else. "What happened to Kirito-kun?!"

 **"…we don't know."** finally answered Shino when it was obvious Suguha wasn't going to answer, the young kendoka seemingly too busy staring somewhere into the clouds and tightly gripping the hybrid's metallic side. **"Whatever happened when you all fainted, it also affected Yhmos over there in Requiem Universus, and then there was this…Scream, I can't quite describe it, that let me get us all away from those damn aliens and seems to have affected the whole country, or at least that's what Yui and her sisters reported before they had to close the call to attend to their 'father'. That was a bit over 20 minutes ago…"**

"I, well, kind of 'felt' where the Scream came from, as I didn't faint before, probably because my link to the boss is weaker than yours, so I have been guiding us more or less towards where I think he is…" revealed Elucidator as they ascended a bit more, Asuna finally taking notice that the 'cold' she felt was because of the altitude, and that if she didn't have an inhuman body she would probably be freezing to death in that moment. "I'm not totally sure of the exact point, though, which is why we were hoping that any of you could help us out when you woke up…but…"

"I can't feel him…" Suguha's whimper almost seemed like a sob, the former sub-commander biting her lips at looking how her friend fought back tears as she shook in place. "I can't feel Onii-chan anymore…Asuna, please, tell me…can you…?"

"…sorry, Sugu-chan. I…I can't either…" muttered Asuna while looking to her feet, feeling tears pooling in her eyes despite her best attempts to block them.

She wanted to believe it wasn't what they thought. That he was okay, maybe hurt or unconscious, but still…still ali…

 **"Uh…? Yui-san is calling."** informed Shino out of the blue, a rough 'projector' like that of her helmet's HUD emerging from the side of her body closest to Asuna and letting the virtual girl's serious, though worried, face to be seen.

"Are you close to the area of Tokyo Tower?" asked the MHCP-001 as soon as her image appeared, making them all, or at least those physically capable of doing so, blink.

"Uhm, more or less." confirmed Elucidator with a confused tone. "Why?"

"Go and search over that area, quick. There is a high chance that…that Kirito is around there. At least, several reports we're getting indicate that an 'anomaly' that many described as 'a black and blue lighting shooting to the heavens' happened there." biting her lips, Yui seemed unsure if to say more, but finally steeled herself as she did so. "Also…they found a corpse at the tower's base, which apparently fell before the 'anomaly' occurred. Or at least what remained of one, it was mostly sliced apart and anything that could be 'recognized' from it vanished when it…splattered on the ground."

"Oh…oh God…" suddenly, Asuna was feeling sick, almost as if everything around her was about to start spinning out of control, flashes of the time she first met the boy in black shooting through her mind as she saw Suguha go deadly pale and seemingly about to hyperventilate. "H-he…Kirito-kun…?!"

"Calm down! As…as I said, the phenomenon was reported by witnesses AFTER that body fell! Data is not clear yet, there are lots of things going into the net slowly as the power comes back, but…it may not even be him, but whoever he was fighting against…he can't…" taking a moment to calm down, the virtual girl looked from the two clearly emotionally fragile teenagers to the bed that Tomoe had created in the middle of the Throne Room, where her sisters were worriedly looking over their father's unresponsive avatar. "…everything is a mess right now. The data we were getting from Internet since the power started coming back…people is scared and confused, there is chaos everywhere. Some are screaming about terrorists while a not so small number shouts about aliens and monsters and divine punishment. It's making getting anything concrete more difficult…I'm sorry I can't get you any clearer information, but…I'm sure Kirito is…"

 **"He's okay."** spoke Shino with a strangely serious tone, a metallic sound that may have been the living metal forming most of her 'body' tightening around Elucidator's frame filling everyone's ears. **"He has to be. If anything happened to him, Yuuki and Aiko would…"**

"…I feel it." Suguha's sudden words made everyone freeze and look at the young kendoka, whose gaze was once again fixed over the clouds, though this time in a very specific direction, as if she was entranced by something. "I feel him…Onii-chan…!"

"Wait, what do you mean?!" asked a suddenly sharp Yui even as Asuna closed her tear-stained eyes and concentrated, barely suppressing a gasp when she did so.

It was so faint it was almost unnoticeable, but there, just at the edge of her perception, she could faintly perceive the blurry feeling of what had usually been a bright a clearly defined presence of…

"We have visual on something just ahead!" screamed Elucidator as they passed over a strangely shaped cloud formation, beyond which they saw…"What…is that thing?"

"It's…a sphere?" muttered a confused Asuna while staring at the unnatural object.

A perfect black sphere, over 3 meters in diameter, floating in the middle of the sky and softly 'spinning' over itself. And the clouds under it seemed to be 'following' its spin, as if shielding it from the gaze of the world bellow…

 **"Whatever that is…it's warm. And it's also giving off a massive energy signature."** warily commented Shino in her echoing voice as they flew closer to the unknown sphere, passing a respectable distance over it. **"I think we should be cautious if we try appro…what the?! Suguha-san, what are you doing?!"**

But the young kendoka either didn't hear or totally ignored the hybrid's words, jumping off Elucidator's frame and towards the black object, calling forth her wings as she did so.

Suguha couldn't help but suppress a grunt at the action, the ethereal wings that before she had been able to summon almost as easily as she breathed now feeling more like trying to draw power from an almost empty battery, taking two terrifying seconds to fully manifest before she was able to stop falling and floated silently over the sphere.

Ignoring the warnings coming from the quickly returning flying tank, she softly touched the unnaturally warm object with her hand.

It moved without any resistance, as if it was a balloon waiting for a child to drag it home…

And whispers that seemed to come from some kind of endless void seemed to reach her mind, together with something else, beyond all of them.

A heartbeat.

"Onii-chan…" tears of joy and relief filled the youngest Kirigaya's face as she turned around, looking towards the incoming form of Elucidator. "I…I think Onii-chan is inside!"

"What?! The boss is in there?!"

"Kirito-kun…thanks Heaven…"

 **"Those are…great news, but…what is that thing?"** questioned the confused Shino as she made the tank's frame slowly circle around the mysterious sphere.

"I'm not sure, but as you said, it IS filled with energy. A lot of it; so much that the remaining systems in this body that can measure energy and weren't fried by the battle earlier are about to overload." added Elucidator with an apprehensive tone, before what seemed like a groan was faintly heard from somewhere within him. "Oh! Hey, the others are waking up and…!"

"No way. It…it can't be…" the unexpected yet vaguely familiar voice took everyone by surprise, eyes shooting towards the small 'screen' that had been showing Yui's face until a while ago. "He's human…even with my powers, it can't…"

Now, though, the image had been changed to Yhmos' pale and shock-filled one, the avatar seemingly struggling to properly express whatever the Ancient Ruler was feeling. Around him, his 'daughters' were looking both relieved and scared, Yin and Yan talking at the same time while asking if he was okay and ignoring Haru's attempts to calm them down, even as Tomoe sent a message to Eve and Ivy (Currently down taking care of the 'little ones') to tell them their father had woken up.

Strea and Yui, however, were exchanging worried looks, their eyes shooting from Yhmos to the strange black sphere floating silently over Tokyo's sky.

"Dad…what is that thing?" softly asked the lilac-haired AI while squeezing his hand, making the rest fall silent as they looked at him.

The fallen Cosmic Entity spoke again, uttering a single word. None of them, human, machine or MHCP, understood what it meant, but all of them felt a strange tingle run through their minds at hearing it.

"…what?" questioned Yui what everyone was thinking.

"…there is no actual translation for that word in any of this world's tongues." clarified Yhmos while shakily sitting up, suddenly seeming every bit as old as his avatar made him look, and more. "But, if I had to look up for an approximation, then it would probably be…a 'chrysalis'."

In the ensuing silence, the sound of a drop of water falling down would have sounded like a gunshot. Even out there in the real world, for the cosmically enhanced humans, one human-alien suit hybrid and one living machine, all other loud sounds seemed to become mute as they tried to process what had just been said.

 **"…a chrysalis for…what?"** came Shino's low voice when it was clear none of the others were going to ask, the girls apparently about to have another emotional breakdown and Elucidator seeming too out of it.

"…for one of my race."

This time, the silence was soul-consuming.

* * *

Elysium Syrom Revenant had gone through a lot, from a very young age. In Earth's terms, perhaps she would have been called a child soldier, or just a very eager teenager, that had gone through things that many would consider 'Hell'.

It had only made her stronger. She had swallowed her fears, pushed down her sadness, crushed her morality more than her old self would have ever liked and managed to keep going.

And yet, as 'she' sat there, staring through the eyes of the boy whose life she was living towards the computer where the hacked documents that revealed that 'her' life had been a lie, that the family 'she' thought belonged to wasn't really 'her' family, she couldn't help but share his childish pain, confusion, and sadness as if they were her own.

How would she have reacted, if she had known something similar when she was his age? That the mother she loved more than anything was her mother, that the father she admired like a Hero wasn't her father…? Well, she liked to think she would have done a bit better. After all, being raised as a princess meant that she had been taught endless things since she was very young. She was probably more mature at the age of 10 than Kazuto had been, and by then she already thought of Rarun as her real 'uncle' despite he not really being so.

And despite that, she understood, whether she liked it or now, how the boy felt. She _was_ him, after all. She shared his desire to escape reality, to close into himself, his obsession with computers in general and then with games in specific growing more like an excuse to keep away from his family than anything else.

It didn't stop her from feeling bad for said family, though. Maybe the father or the mother could be blamed slightly from the childish point of view, it was easy to do so when they were rarely at home and more of 'her' childhood memories were with 'her' strict grandfather and then waiting long hours all by the lonesome…but _she_ didn't deserve it. She, who also went through the same, but never thought less of 'their' parents, who was hurt by 'her' sudden indifference and then became indifferent towards 'her' too.

Kirigaya Suguha, 'her' little sister, didn't deserve to have also shared the same treatment 'her' discovery made 'her' give to 'her' family. She didn't know the truth, after all.

And then…IT happened.

Kayaba Akihiko. The revolution of technology. The Nerve Gear.

The virtual world, at the reach of everyone…

…and Sword Art Online.

As 'she' went through the Beta Test, Elysium's real self couldn't help but let her wonder grow. From a soldier's point of view, especially one from a Universe like hers, it was truly nothing more than a childish game, and a very stupid use of technology that could have others (Military) applications.

And that was where the wonder came from, as, as far as she knew, there was nothing like that in her Universe, or at least among the technology that the Alliance used.

Could they make it? Oh, most certainly, especially as 'she' looked through endless data and new about the designs and workings of the Nerve Gear online…but they simply _hadn't_ ever done so, because it wasn't necessary. Because, in a Universe that had been at 'war' since immemorial times, something like this, the wonder of making imaginary worlds real just so everyone could enjoy them, was something people with the ability to actually do it would never 'waste their time' in.

Elysium didn't miss, though, that another clear reason 'she' loved the game so much was because it gave 'her' an extremely real chance to 'escape reality'. To pretend to be someone else.

In Aincrad, 'she' wasn't Kirigaya Kazuto, the adopted boy that no longer knew how to relate with 'her' family. 'She' was Kirito the swordsman, a brave warrior ready to face any danger to clear that floating castle.

When the day for the actual game to begin came, 'she' was extremely excited. Barely paying attention to 'her' sister…cousin, telling 'her' she was going to her kendo practice; 'she' uttered the words that would take 'her' back to the world 'she' loved so much.

 _(Link Start…)_

And then, the dream became nightmare. The genius revealed himself as a madman, trapping 10000 lives in a struggle for life and death from which they couldn't even defend their real bodies themselves from, leaving only their consciousness trapped into those virtual reflexes of themselves, to fulfill a seemingly impossible task. And for no clear reason.

The Death Game had begun, and a hundred Floors separated the players from freedom.

Elysium wasn't totally sure what the laws of the Alliance would say about such a bizarre situation, but she was sure no one would object if she ripped Kayaba Akihiko's throat with her claws without any previous trial or sentence. The monster didn't deserve any better.

Yet, as Kirito, 'she' could only struggle, forcing 'herself' to the loneliness 'she' was used just to try and survive, an unnatural drive fueling 'her'.

'She' would survive. 'She' would go back home, to the real world. And 'she' would apologize to the family 'she' had wronged, feeling stupid that such a horrible and life-threatening situation had been needed for 'her' to realize that the fact that they hadn't conceived 'her' didn't make Midori and Minetaka any less 'her' parents, that the fact that they weren't born from the same mother didn't make Suguha any less 'her' sister.

Through a hardship and with a drive that her real self, the captain, couldn't help but be awed at, the teenager slowly forced himself to become a warrior.

Certainly, there was no pain in this world, but that didn't make 'her' struggle any less real or worthy. It didn't make the risk of death any less threatening.

And it certainly didn't make Kirito any less brave. Especially not given what happened after the First Floor Boss Battle.

Elysium would have never pegged the boy whose life she was experiencing as a martyr, and yet that was the only word she could apply when 'she' boasted 'herself' as 'The Beater' in front of the clearers, as 'she' took the burden and hate of the many to 'save' the other Beta Testers, those who could better help clear the game, among which only one was close to him in any way.

And so, 'her' lonely struggle continued. At first, that girl of the rapier, Asuna, made 'her' somewhat company on occasions, but in time their paths drifted apart as she assumed the leading position Kirito knew she was destined for, an inspiration to drive everyone forward, and 'she' kept fighting through the shadows, in a lonely struggle to always be strong enough to survive. While a bit worrying, Elysium honestly couldn't think there was anything wrong with it.

And then, 'she' met the Moonlit Black Cats…

 **(STRUGGLE)**

 **(EMOTION)**

 **(CHANGE…)**

 _Kirigaya Kazuto thought he knew what it was to struggle. He thought he knew what it was like to face some of the hardest things life could throw at you._

 _As the training droid rammed a metallic fist on 'his' gut for what felt like the thousandth time, he was forced to reevaluate all of those beliefs, the training armor 'he' wore preventing any real injury but doing nothing to ease the pain as 'his' body crashed down almost to the other side of the training room._

 _It hurt, so much. It had been going on for hours, so long that 'he' was feeling as if the pounding pain had become a part of him, something constant and undeniable, and that any memory without that pain was only an illusion._

 _'He' should be giving up. After all, there was no real reason for this. 'He' wasn't doing this to protect anyone or to save a life, there were no great stakes at risk nor any death or life situation stopping 'him' from going back home. There would be no shame or loss if 'he' surrendered now._

 _That was how Kazuto saw this. That was what he would do in this case. After all, while he was no coward, he wasn't a hero or a saint either. He would do all in his power to protect those he cared for and try and help those he saw in trouble if he could do so, but he wouldn't go out of his way searching for problems to solve. He wouldn't look for greatness, even if it was for the better of others, because he was content with who he was._

 _That was why it was so painful. Because, despite how utterly alien the idea and concept should be for him, he still could, or more like was forced to, understand it, as the little girl, barely more than 12 mega-cycles old at the time, that did so was 'himself' in that moment._

 _"A…again…"_

 _He understood her drive, because, in that instant, it was also 'his' drive._

 _'You were born to be a princess, not a soldier.' Those words from 'his' father rang true. Destiny had said so, since the moment 'his' father and mother met and fell in love, a princess and a hero of war, a queen and an admiral, like something out of a cosmic tale. Since the moment they married, and then 'he' was born, it was agreed that 'he' would be the next heir to the throne of Yurandi. 'His' father agreed, and 'his' mother was happy._

 _Kazuto could still remember the little girl who wanted to see the stars in the sky with her own eyes. And that had become uneasy, then scared, when some stars started to_ vanish _from the heavens._

 _It would take mega-cycles before 'he' fully understood it. The scale at which the Tyrant brought devastation to those who opposed his supposedly 'rightful' rule._

 _Planets ravaged or broken. Entire Star Systems destroyed. Galaxies left in ruin._

 _But that was the beginning, just seeing the stars 'he' dreamed about vanish. And then hearing how 'his' father did his best to protect them, fighting for them every time during the long periods he wasn't with 'him' or 'his' mother._

 _And that was how 'he' decided to become a soldier. 'He' would be a hero, like 'his' father, someone who protected it all, not someone to be protected. Someone who fought for the freedom of every living being under the stars._

 _'His' mother opposed firmly, of course. And while 'his' father didn't deny 'his' seemingly 'surprising' wish, he didn't give 'him' any support to convince her either._

 _It took almost two entire Mega-Cycles. What first were pleas quickly became firm points, then solid arguments. Finally, 'his' mother, with a heavy heart and a sad smile, gave 'him' the okay, in a way. If 'he' could complete 'his' father's training, none of them would stop 'him' from joining the ranks of the Alliance._

 _It was obvious what the queen of Yurandi thought, of course. She was sure that her daughter would either surrender or realize that she wasn't born for such a life, that she would return home with her after her father treated her with the same ruthlessness that he did all other soldiers instead of how he would his beloved daughter. She would return, maybe crying, but at least safe._

 _As 'his' fist smashed through one of the droid's heads and 'his' sharp tail pierced one trying to take 'him' down from behind through the torso, rendering both useless, Elysium idly realized that, for once, 'he' was glad to disappoint 'his' mother, reigning back 'his' urge to cry with a determined scowl._

 _'He' was stronger than tears, after all._

 _And as 'he' rose through the ranks of the Alliance like a prodigy, almost nothing of 'his' old-self remaining, Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant was proud of 'himself', filled with pride after hearing 'his' father's praise when 'he' arrived at the Star Hunter._

 _…there was only one lingering doubt in 'his' heart, though._

 _Had it been because of 'him', that 'his' parents no longer loved each other? 'He' had asked uncle Rarun, of course, and the 4-armed lieutenant had answer with rotund denials, saying that it had sadly been a matter of how things were, that after so many mega-cycles of seeing each other so little things became bitter between them, that 'his' mother no longer had the heart of waiting every time 'his' father was out fighting in a never-ending war._

 _But, deep inside, 'he' was almost sure that was a lie. After all, no one knew better how much 'his' parents loved each other than 'himself'._

 _For 'his' mother to suddenly not want to talk to 'his' father anymore, and for him to accept it with neutral sadness…had it been 'his' fault? Because 'he' chose to be a soldier instead of the princess 'he' was supposed to?_

 _Those doubts and hesitation kept mounting inside 'him', the horrors of the war not helping get rid of them. There were just so much destruction, so many battlefields, so many dead people, so many lost comrades, before one started to become…desensitized, to it all. And, to the small part of 'him' that was still the young princess Elysium, that was both horrifying and wrong. Horrible and against everything 'he' stood for._

 _One thing or another, one could blame 'him' or any of that, but it was a fact that it was what led to the catastrophe of Uekyt's moon._

 _'His' whole infiltration battalion, lost. And 'he', the prodigy captain, captured, kneeling on the ground while chains of unbreakable adamantine, same as her claws to keep these restrained (As no one had been brave or foolish enough to try and remove them directly) were wrapped around her arms, two Chimera-Level Battle Mechanoids holding them and keeping 'his' arms apart as the enemy general stared down at 'him', a destroyed battlefield around them and a dozen armored figures aiming their Galium Blasters at 'him', 'his' tail angrily trying to get free from where it had been painfully pinned down to the ground with a laser-spear._

 _"Behold, the mighty Noble Reaper, defeated! You should have known better than to fight against the Great One."_

 _"Why…why are you doing this?!" snarled 'him' while glaring at the 12-pointed star symbol on the general's helmet, rage, and despair filling 'his' being. "We're fighting for the Universe's freedom! Why would you aid that monster?! Haven't you seen the destruction he has brought?!"_

 _"The Eternal Conqueror only destroys those that will try and threaten his rule. All in the cosmos is His by birthright. Resisting is futile." the man's words were painful to 'him' because the general seemed to honestly believe them, as if they were the absolute truth of all. "It's not too late to see the mistake in fighting against His glory, young one. Join us, and let the Universe's order be restored once none oppose its rightful Ruler."_

 _"Never." 'he' spat with hate and Determination, 'his' diamond-shaped eyes meeting the general's gaze while ignoring the excruciating pain coming from 'his' tail. "As long as I can raise these arms of mine, I won't bow down to the Tyrant."_

 _"…that can be fixed." was the calm answer of the general before, with a gesture of his hand, the Chimera Mechanoids started to_ **pull** _the chains._

 _Elysium had barely more than a second to understand what was going on before 'his' arms tensed and, suddenly, started straining as they were pulled in opposite directions._

 _"Ahh…AGAAAAH! Y-you…mons…teeerrrrss!" screamed the captain while using all of 'his' strength to try and break free, to free 'his' battle-claws enough to try and break the chains, even if 'he' knew it was impossible, for…for something, anything!_

 _But the sounds of bones and armor starting to crack was all that greeted 'him', all the strength 'he' had inherited from 'his' father's race useless while soul-piercing screams erupted from 'his' throat, as 'he' felt the machines continue their task of ripping 'his' arms away from 'his' torso…_

 _And then **IT** happened._

 _Why did it happen? Was it something predestined? Was it a casualty? Was it that 'his' screams somehow reached Beyond; a one in a thousandth millionth chance?_

 _The answer, if it existed, wasn't something that anyone knew. The point was, though, that, in that instant, a 'he' fell 'his' arms about to be ripped apart…Elysium Syrom Revenant 'saw' something from Beyond._

 _One instant, 'he' was there, about to be mutilated, and the next, for a fleeting second, a moment between the Concept of Time itself, for a reason 'his' inferior mind couldn't comprehend, 'he' was staring at something so much greater than 'himself', than even her own Universe, that it was a miracle in itself that 'he' didn't go mad at doing so._

 _To this day, Elysium was unable to properly remember the ephemeral event, but Kirigaya Kazuto, who was watching it all through the princess-turned-captain's eyes, was properly able to SEE the fleeting glance of IT, whatever it was._

 _Something Beyond and Above it All. Something that didn't Rule, but still was Greater than anything belonging in the Never-Ending Omniverse. Something that was…_

 **Absolute.**

 _And suddenly, upon seeing It, the young ex-princess of Yurandi reached an understanding of the Cosmos that no inferior being should reach, ever. It was against nature and against the Laws of Reality themselves, and as such, that understanding was gone the next instant._

 _But an instant had been more than enough to create an unbreakable Connection. And that_ [Determination] _'he' had felt before came alive, answering 'his' call from the very roots of Reality and manifesting through 'his' trusted Crimson Reapers, rewriting their very existence._

 _When 'his' conscious properly returned, 'he' had already torn apart both Mechanoids, slaughtered all the soldiers and had 'his' Conceptual Claws half-closed over the general's head._

 _"Lo…long life to the Eternal Conqueror!" screamed the doomed man before his suit beeped loudly and a massive explosion engulfed it all…_

 _Or it would have, if Elysium's claws hadn't suddenly expanded and covered the enemy's body whole, the Concept protecting Its master and the explosion vanishing from Reality as it came in contact with_ [Determination] _._

 _It would take almost an entire cycle before reinforcements from the Star Hunter, led by 'his' father himself, found 'him'._

 _Elysium hadn't moved at all in all that time, standing silently amidst the destroyed battlefield, with a crater before 'him' and the remains of 'his' enemies scattered around, staring fixedly at 'his' once again normal battle-claws._

 _'He' had been given a 'gift', and as such, been saved. Whether it had been on purpose or not, whether it had been 'his' destiny or a casualty like an ant suddenly staring up, seeing a man passing and understanding what it meant to be human, the fact that 'he' now had it._

 _And so, Elysium Syrom Revenant swore to herself. That she would those 'claws' to tear apart the evil that threatened her Universe, to fight for the freedom of the stars she had once dreamed about._

 _And despite how it went against almost everything that was himself, Kirigaya Kazuto understood her._

 _How could he not, when, in that moment, He and She were basically the same person?_

 **(UNDERSTANDING)**

 **(ACCEPTANCE)**

 **…**

 **..**

 **.**

 **(EVOLUTION…)**

* * *

It was being, almost without a doubt, the busiest night in Japan's history.

Between the 'normal' chaos the prolonged and total energy outage had caused, especially in the middle of New Year's Eve, the 'terrorist attack' in Yokohama, the strange light phenomenon and 'incomplete and unidentifiable corpse' from Tokyo Tower, and the endless reports of people shouting about 'aliens and monsters' fighting in the middle of the city, it was understandable that most authorities and emergencies on half the country were busy trying to fix the situation before it escalated even further.

As such, and with most people in Japan trying to get more information about what had happened in the affected areas (Be it because they had friends or family there, or were simply just curious), no one could have really blamed the humans when the fall of a golden shooting star went by almost unnoticed, and wouldn't really be fully reported or acknowledged until the next day.

Even when said 'shooting star' crashed somewhere in the country's north, in the middle of a forest. After all, even if it had indeed been seen by someone with authority to do something, there was no one who could get to the area anytime soon to investigate.

No one human, that is, because it hadn't even been 10 minutes since the crash before a magician, a dozen infantry soldiers and General Gahul Moria materialized in the area thanks to a Warping Mystery.

While the soldiers and the wizard seemed on edge and nervous, there was a cold tiredness surrounding the snake-like alien, even as he released a sigh while raising his arm and scanning the surroundings with his terminal, his other hand idly caressing his battle-whip as he did so.

"Firssst the plan we ssstaked almossst everything on isss a total failure, then we lossst that naïve Revenant girl, and then that idiot of Konik almossst getsss himssself killed fighting that monster'sss followersss." mumbled Gahul while shaking his head, slithering forward towards the Impact Point while his followers trailed behind. "Not to mention how the Tyrant isss probably done playing around after whatever happened when Elysssium fought him, that the humansss all but know of our presssence after that, and now a freaking unknown object with more energy than anything thisss planet is able to produce fallsss from ssspace jussst after all that ssshit goesss down? Ugh, thisss really isssn't my night…"

"But General Moria, sir, what if it's a piece of our ship?" questioned one of the soldiers closest to him with a slightly excited tone. "After what happened tonight, recovering even a single piece of tech from the Star Hunter could help us immensely!"

"Anything from the ssship that remained in orbit ssso long, then fell down, would be little more than ssscrap, essspecially after the atmossspheric reentry." reminded him the snake-like alien as they finally saw a clearing among the trees just ahead. "Besssidesss, the timing isss too sussspicious to be jussst a coincidence, not to mention the fact that it crassshed HERE, in Japan, out of the whole Earth. I'm more willing to bet that, whatever it isss, it'sss probably more…trouble for…usss…"

Slowly, Moria's voice trailed off into frozen silence, and the other 'Star Hunters' behind him were quick to notice why, gasps of shock emerging from them.

There, before them, was an impressive crater, almost 50 meters in diameter and 10 or so deep on its center point…

And standing in the middle of it, an armored figure stood, shining with faintly golden light.

Tall and imposing, his frame, while smaller than Rarun's, would still be seen like the very limits of what humans would consider 'normal'. Smoke was still coming from the once golden full-body armor, now mostly blackened and filled with gashes and dents, but somehow still looking as intimidating and glorious as it would if it had been pristine. The helmet, shaped like some sort of ancient deity of war, somehow seemed more terrifying than ever in its damaged state, and while nothing but burned scrap remained of the mantle with the Universal Alliance's symbol that once hung from his back, it still seemed to give the same presence that _demanded_ respect from everyone that looked at him.

"…n-no way…"

"I can't believe it…!"

"It's a miracle of Fate…!"

"…A-Admiral Revenant…?" asked Gahul with a strange mix of fear and hope, moving forward a couple of meters into the edge of the crater.

The golden figure's head suddenly moved, staring straight at him, making the general and all the soldiers behind him to freeze in place.

The armored figure, for his part, turned around…and collapsed to pieces.

Like a spell that had been broken, the Excelsior-Class Battle Armor fell down, the arms, legs, waist, head and torso parts all scattering around as they crashed heavily on the dirt of the crater, making a very loud sound as they did.

Their smoking insides were empty, nothing but a greasy sensation and a smell of burned flesh having been filling them.

And yet, if one strained their ears hard enough (Which none of the shocked and gawking aliens was doing, for obvious reasons), one could have almost heard a whisper echoing in the wind.

 _"…Elysium…"_

* * *

The girl called Elysium Syrom Revenant, 1st Captain of the Float, one of the brightest and most promising members of the Universal Alliance, someone whose ability to summon a Concept of Reality had gotten her an Omega-Level of Security on her information in all Alliance's databases, prided herself in just one thing.

She hadn't truly cried even once since she decided to go down the path of a soldier.

Tears had sometimes filled her eyes during the harsh training her father put her through, but had never broken down crying for it. She had screamed filled with rage and regret after a mission or a battle went particularly bad and they lost a lot of men, but had never let that make her sob in sadness. She had barely allowed herself to shed a couple of silent tears after they settled down on Earth and she was able to fully acknowledge her father's demise.

Because she was stronger than tears. She had a duty and a mission that she had chosen to dedicate her life towards. She was no longer the pampered princess who cried every time something bad happened…

And yet, as 'she' sat in that silent room of Aincrad, hearing Sachi's last message echoing from the recording crystal that horribly cold night of Christmas, her real self couldn't help but cry her soul out, together with the 'her' that was sitting there and letting tears fall freely over the shining crystal.

It was almost preposterous, in a way. That the boy whose life she was experienced could have gone through something that made her, someone who had been fighting in a Universal war, to break down like that. Especially given that he had lived at least 2 Mega-Cycles less than her, and only gone through something that could be called traumatic during less than two.

And yet, she couldn't help it. What 'she' had felt since the moment she met 'her' guild _(No…not mine…his…)_ , 'her' friends, those that made 'her' feel like 'she' belonged somewhere and not like the outcast 'she' had forced 'herself' to become, both in SAO and before that, with 'her' family.

…and it made Elysium experience the joy of having true friends that considered you an equal for the first time too. She didn't even mind the fact that Kirito had lied to them about his level, his power, understanding his reasoning, as she had also done her best to hide her background during her first Ultra-Cycles in the Alliance, unwilling to let her status as a 'princess' made others treat her differently, and having little success.

That was why she shared his pain and guilt when they died, because of him _(Not. It wasn't my…his…fault…)._

That was why 'her' heart cried out when Sachi's body shattered into polygons while smiling sadly at 'her'. That was why 'her' soul broke when Keita jumped off Aincrad's edge before 'her', once again unable to do anything to prevent the tragedy.

The rage and the emptiness that filled Kirito after that, it was something that almost scared Elysium, especially as she had felt them through him too. His nigh-suicidal charge against Nicholas the Renegade, the (Predictable) disappointment of what the Divine Stone of Returning Soul really did and that final acceptation and forgiveness that ended with tears after hearing Sachi's last message…

How could someone suffer through something that made her think she had it easy in the war? She didn't want to feel this…she didn't want it…!

Even less when the sadness and tragedy became positive things. When the boy found new friends with which he bonded, when Kirito slowly learned how to open himself to others again…

Silica. Lisbeth. Asuna. Even Klein and Agil too, always supporting 'her' in different ways.

'She' _(No…not me…him, NOT ME!)_ felt alive again. Hope filled 'her'. And determination too. They would clear the game. They would become free…

And unexpectedly, it happened. A 'miracle', the escape of the dreaded Tyrant from Elysium's Universe ironically spelling His downfall and freeing the trapped players of Sword Art Online.

Discovering 'her' powers', reconnecting with everyone, the 'Anchors' reveal, discovering and facing the 'Tyrant', which now seemed little more than a powerless and grumpy old man, growing close to Sugu…

Finding love. Being happy. Enjoying life to…

 _(No, no, no, NO! Stop it! I don't want to feel like this! Let me out of here! LET ME OUUUTTT!)_

The aliens. Saving Yuuki and Aiko _(Oh Fate, no…h-he was just trying to help two sick girls…STOP! I DON'T WANT TO SEE MORE!)_ The talk with Yhmos. 'She' refusing under any means to kill the 'invaders'. The fallen Cosmic Entity talking about 'her' fear of 'Death', and 'she' realizing that…

"…you're dying." muttered Kazuto with wide eyes, staring straight at the flickering avatar _(…what?)._

"…I am." simply answered the Universal Tyrant as if it was no big deal.

"How…? Why…?"

"What do you know about Life and Death, Kirigaya Kazuto? About the mysteries of the Omniverse? See, in most Multiverses, death is the end. The soul leaves the body and either vanishes or returns to an empty reincarnation cycle, wiped clean to start anew. Some Multiverses have actual 'Afterlives', though, to where the soul goes after the body dies. Some have even ways to 'resurrect' those souls. Mystical items, forbidden spells, powerful sorceries, you name it. But…it's all meaningless."

"…what do you mean with…?"

"The ONLY thing that is truly unique about all beings? That is the 'Existence'. It's unique, from the smallest bacteria to the most powerful cosmic beings. A 'blueprint' in the Omniverse that identifies us as Unique, as what we are…and that is erased and thrown into Unreality the moment anything 'dies'. Even being 'resurrected' in those Universes where it's actually possible won't change this. The soul may live on, the flesh may be restored, but the Existence won't come back. It will be another new one. All the memories, all the feelings, but still _not the same being_. Never again. And my own Existence is tied to my Aether Core…which is now yours. Every moment I keep on existing separated from it, my End draws closer."

"…"

"That was an answer to the question you never had the courage to ask me…oh, don't look so surprised, I have known it for some time. Can you 'resurrect' the dead? Probably, with enough time and practice with my powers…but they won't be the same person. You could even find their actual souls and drag them down from this Universe's reincarnation cycle and recreate their bodies down to the smallest atom perfectly. No one would notice the difference…except you."

"…I…"

"Want some advice? Don't try and play with Life and Death, boy. It will only obsess and destroy you, and I can't have you destroying the planet where my daughters live for some stupid reason, can I?"

"…have you told them?"

"That I will die? No, not really. In time, they will know, and I hope it's something that makes them realize a truth that many in the Omniverse don't get: There are those who seek Eternity. Those who are 'Immortal', and even some beings higher than me that claim to be 'Deathless'. Fools, all of them. Because tell me, Kirigaya Kazuto, how can ANYTHING be free of [DEATH]…when even whole Multiverses will end up falling to her uncaring embrace when their time comes?"

"…I…I should probably…"

"Yes, you should probably be going down there, Yui and the rest wanted to show you all some 'surprise' or something. Now, be gone, I grow tired of your face."

And before 'she' could protest, the goddammed bastard had teleported 'her' all the way to the vehicles' hangar _(…I can't…I can't keep seeing this…I don't want to…to…!)_ …

But it came, the memories moving forward without mercy. 'Her' father returning, Lisbeth's excited discovery of her new powers, the glorious form of Azure Vanquisher, New Year's Eve _(Please…please, Fate…no…forgive me…!)_ …

The attack. Rushing to do something and prevent a tragedy, leaving Sugu behind.

The hospital. HER _(Me…)_.

The fight. The clash. The exchanged words. The antimatter explosion.

Tokyo Tower. The last warning for HER _(Me…!)_ to go away.

The terrifying chill. [Determination]. The claws coming down to end 'her', and then there was pain, pain, pain like no other…!

 **(SURVIVAL)**

And then…

 **(ADAPTATION)**

Only…

 **(…LIFE)**

With a scream that surpassed even the ones she released that time her arms were almost ripped away from her body, Elysium Syrom Revenant was herself once again, sprawled down in a strange 'void', shaking, sobbing and crying like a little girl.

That was why she had wanted it to end sooner. She didn't want to see him surpassing adversity and sadness to enjoy his life. Didn't want to see someone who had never even thought of the greater good, who only cared for those close to him, whose dreams had never been anything too special, being able to live in absolute happiness.

She didn't want to acknowledge that she could have stayed a princess and nothing would have been wrong, that no one would have judged her for it. That the Omniverse didn't care that she had gone against her Fate, that all the things she had gone through didn't matter to those living happily far away…

…that she had killed someone who she wouldn't hesitate to call one of the bravest and kindest persons she had known about in her life for no real reason.

Because now she KNEW, with every fiber of her being, that Kirigaya Kazuto would have never done anything wrong with those powers. He, who not only had never tried to use them or learn to control them for anything, but also wished there was a way to not have them because he only wished to be happy besides those he loved and nothing more.

She knew it because, in that moment, she may as well be him. She had just lived his entire life, after all.

And the only thing she had gotten in return was getting killed herself, and…and…

How…how was she still 'somewhere', if she had truly died? And how had she seen the boy's life? What…?

"Well…look at that. You don't look good, princess."

Elysium's head snapped up at the unexpected void, and she realized that she was floating, in the middle of what seemed outer space.

And just under her, massive and menacing, a 12-pointed and _jet black_ star pulsed sinisterly.

But it wasn't the view of the impossibly changed Aether Core what terrified her, no. I was that of the shadow not far from her, its features obscured by an ethereal darkness and wearing a black long coat and with two swords in his hands, blades that she recognized immediately.

Elucidator. Dark Repulser. Her…no, HIS blades…

"Ka…Kazuto…?" asked the trembling captain…who then realized her voice _wasn't_ hers.

"No, sorry, he's not here right now. I think he's somewhere still trapped in your own memories." The Shadow stared at her with empty eyes, nothing but a never-ending and uncaring void, which shook her to her very soul. "I'm that side of him he dislikes and rejects."

He took a step forward. She backed away.

"No…"

"I'm the Survivor. I'm the Warrior."

Twin blades ignited in the light of a Sword Skill.

"Please…no…"

"I'm the Beater. I'm the Black Swordsman."

Empty eyes shining with a hint of gold towered over her, and she finally realized, what the 'wrong' feeling with 'herself' was.

"Fate…please…I'm sorry…"

"I'm to him what your 'princess' is to you, captain. Those parts you don't need to live the life you have chosen…and yet are still part of both of you, no matter how much you deny it."

Because in that moment, instead of looking like her own body, the crying and shaking form under The Shadow looked like none other than Kirigaya Kazuto.

"And you know that…and me…very well. Because at this moment…you are me… _and I AM YOU_."

"…sob…I am…so sorry…forgive me…"

"I'm **Kirito**." sentenced The Shadow Elysium knew as well as herself. "And I don't take kindly to those that kill me."

And without more words, the judging edge of Dual Blades descended…

* * *

 **Next** **:** _Divine Humanity/Human Divinity_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And there, done! Woah, longest interlude ever, eh?

Well, there you have it. Hopefully, the 'dive' Kazuto and Elysium had in each other's memories would help everyone understand her a bit more (If you still hate her guts, well, I did all I could, you're allowed to have your opinion :3), while also given our protagonist some more character development, all the while what's 'happening' for real gets hinted at, and its consequences are going to show very soon.

With this, we have closed the 'Ascension' arc and entered the final one 'Godhood'. The world's reaction to the forces from beyond, the last struggle of the Star Hunters, the mysterious 'empty armor' and how the SAO gang will react and face all of this will be the centerpoint of this arc, but its main key, if it's not obvious yet, it's going to be what Kazuto is about to go through next chapter.

As a slightly adapted phrase from a game I really like said it: Will Humans become God or will the Gods become Human? You will have to keep reading to find out.

Also, if it confused someone (Can't blame you, as I purposefully made the part of Elysium-Kirito and Kirito-Elysium even MORE confusing that when it happened with Hecate and Shino), that last 'talk' Elysium experimented from Kirito's PoV chronologically happened back in chapter 9 (Star Princess of the Crimson Claws), when the scene cut off after Kirito and Yhmos' 'discussion' and before he 'appeared' down with the girls and the MHCPS when they gave them the Aurora OxO Oh, and if you didn't notice the reference, Sinon went full 'Hulkbuster' back there with Hecate's armor :P

Okay, I think that's all for now. Look forward to the next chapter, folks, it shall be… _Divine_ XD

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	15. Chapter 12: Divinity - Humanity

Over 400 Favorites and Followers. Over 48000 views. Over 310 reviews. I can't believe it, but this story has officially become both my second longest and second most popular work ever. Once again, thank you all for this, you're all great, my dear readers, and I hope you can keep enjoying of this crazy fic till the end :)

Congratulations to the reader PuppetofL, by the way, for being the 300th Review of this fic!

Well, now here we officially begin the 'Godhood' Arc, the last part of this mad story about Cosmic Powers, aliens and teenage gamers. This chapter also finally wraps the 'New Year' events and leads to the start of the real road for the ending, so I hope you're prepared! Also, for those of you that, even after last chapter, still wish the most horrible things for a certain character, sorry, but as I said, an author can't hope to please everyone OxO

Nevertheless, hope you all enjoy this!

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Human Divinity/Divine Humanity**

 **January 1st, 2025. Kawagoe, Saitama. Outskirts of the city, 2:25…**

The warehouse wasn't anything special, nor did it have anything that made it stand out at all. As far as anyone that lived close or passed by the area was concerned, it was just another random building, probably with industrial material stored inside. No one had any reason to know it was owned by the company in charge of the most popular VRMMORPG of the moment, Requiem Universus Online, and even if they did, they had no reason to think anything strange about it.

After all, it would be very difficult for anyone to imagine that, inside it, there was a half-destroyed alien tank, a group of tired superhuman teenage girls, a huge hybrid mademostly of black metal, a living phone-bot missing an arm and an otherworldly black sphere floating in the middle.

And that was without taking into account the several AIs (And one fallen Cosmic Entity) that were observing and 'analyzing' the sphere as best as they could through the several projectors sprouting from the hybrid's body.

Since the moment they had arrived there, the heavy and nervous silence that had surrounded the group hadn't been interrupted except when Asuna's phone rang out of the blue, startling everyone even as the chestnut-haired girl looked at it and quickly turned it off as soon as whoever was trying to call her gave up. That had idly made the others realize that, by this point, their families would have noticed without a doubt that they had 'disappeared', and that none of them had remembered to bring out their phones with them. While Yuuki and Aiko didn't really have that problem, it was a very different matter for the rest of the girls (Sans Suguha, who assumed her parents were still under the effects of Kazuto's Time-Warping Mystery).

Even so, none of them seemed willing to abandon the warehouse. And they all seemed to have assumed that trying to contact their families before the 'problem' at hand was resolved would do more harm than good.

Though the hopes of that happening anytime soon weren't exactly high, if the troubled-looking faces of the _holograms_ (It was amazing how quickly that had stopped surprising them, but in their defense they had already seen Shino's suit/body do crazier things) of the virtual girls as they examined the sphere through the systems the bespectacled girl had created for them to do so were anything to go by, never mind the mumbles about _'Impossible'_ and _'Makes no sense'_ coming from Yhmos.

Finally, someone seemed unable to keep bearing with the half-silence filling the warehouse, the girl standing up and glaring straight at the virtual projection of the fallen Cosmic Entity.

"Okay, that's more than enough; I think we all deserve a clear explanation already!" shouted Rika with an angry tone, making the Konno twins look at her with surprise while Keiko's face scrunched up, Asuna and Suguha just moving their serious gazes from the sphere to their friend. "You said you needed silence to properly discover what the hell happened to Kirito, so we kept silent since we arrived here, but it has been almost an hour since then! What did he end up inside that thing?! What do you mean when you say it's a 'chrysalis' from your race?! And why isn't he answering no matter how much we call out to him?!"

"Liz…" muttered Asuna with a mix of admiration and surprise.

 **"Rika-san, I don't think getting angry right now helps anyone."** spoke Shino with an even tone, being the one less close to the boy in everyone's mind helping her to keep a clearer head than the rest. **"They're doing the best they can to help Kazuto-sa…"**

"No…no, we aren't." interrupted her Yui to everyone's surprise, the oldest of the MHCPs showing a look of frustration and fear on her face. "We have been trying to do all that we can, we have been taking advantage of the alien tech in Shino-san's body as best as we can thanks to Hecate-san's help to 'translate' it to our systems…but we still are no closer to knowing what happened to Kiri…to Kazuto-kun. We have only been able to get more detailed measures of the inner heat and energy that this…'chrysalis' is releasing…"

"Dad…I think this is more than enough. What Yui-nee says is truth, it's obvious we aren't going to find anything else no matter how much we try to." it was so strange to hear Strea talking with such a serious voice (For _everyone_ present), that Tomoe and Haru gulped nervously at the unnaturally sharp look in her face as she stared at their father, Yin and Yan exchanging worried looks. "Please, tell us what you know. What's happening with Kirito?"

"…we Ancient Rulers aren't born with a physical form. We have no 'mother' or 'father', we have but a single parent. Gender isn't really something we have either, but we still adopt one not long after birth if just to define ourselves better. I and my eleven siblings had one 'Father'. We were born from his very Aether Core and the sacrifice of 12000 stars. He then crafted us simple bodies, slightly humanoid in shape but forged from hard and powerful metals from a planet's core, and finally, as a last gift before his life ended, giving birth to 'us' having destroyed his Core, he created our home System and its 3 stars." as he explained this, Yhmos' gaze became distant, the old-looking avatar suddenly seeming truly fitting as the fallen Cosmic Entity remembered things he hadn't bothered to in an eternity. "Those original bodies of us, they were meant just to be a temporary thing, while we developed our powers. We inherited the knowledge of the Cosmos from father, and so we experimented, grew, created our first Anchors…and then, our Aether Cores finally let us 'mature'. Our original bodies were consumed and we entered those 'chrysalises. After we came out…we were different. New and more, true Ancient Rulers and not the infants we used to be…and our new bodies reflected it, each so wildly different that only our Existences identified us as 'siblings' anymore."

The Eternal Conqueror let his words sink in on the group's minds without saying anything else, letting them all come to their own conclusions. For a moment, he felt tempted to tell them about his youngest sibling, of his body long like a worm and with endless 'roots' that saw all around him in different planes of Reality. Of his closest sister, whose form was little more than a pyramid of raw energy, with an 'eye' in each face that let her see beyond the atmosphere with but a thought. Of how those bodies would from then on be forever the 'base' of any new one they made, as any other they tried to inhabit that didn't follow the shape their Aether Cores had chosen wouldn't last long…

And of how some of them didn't survive to see the light out of their chrysalises, as their brutal conflict had already begun back then and some had instructed their Anchors to try and destroy their siblings in their most vulnerable hour.

But in the end, he decided against it. Perhaps because it was meaningless, in the end, or perhaps because he knew that they knowing wouldn't change anything, as there was nothing they could do to stop the process except for actually destroying the thing. Maybe it was because he didn't want the apprehension on his two eldest 'daughters' to grow again (Even if he didn't care much if the same happened to the rest), having felt strangely worried and angry during the last hours because of it.

No matter the reason, though, the point was that, even if he didn't do anything to actively try and calm down the group's fears, Yhmos didn't say anything else to make them grow either. And that was something that he, in the past, wouldn't have bothered doing.

For a brief instant, the fallen Cosmic Entity's image flickered, so fast that no one realized it, but still an undeniable truth…

* * *

It was her end, and she knew it.

She had wielded those blades, executed their Skills, and seen firsthand the power they could unleash against all kind of monsters, from weak to terrifyingly powerful ones. Or at least, she had experienced the life of the person who had done so.

That was why Elysium knew, the moment she saw the sequence for 'Nightmare Rain' start, that she was going to die, or maybe just finally vanish, as a part of her was still pretty sure that she had died earlier when she had felt her body bursting apart.

And so, the only thing the captain could do as she stopped crawling backward with that 'body' identical to that of the boy in black was to close her eyes and accept the bittersweet embrace of Oblivion…except that it didn't come.

Just as she was about to close her eyes and let [FATE]'s designs be done, the last thing she had expected saved her.

Fast and deadly, unstoppable and fierce, [Determination] destroyed the unforgiving Dual Blades, the Conceptual Claws tearing apart more than half of Elucidator and Dark Repulser, the Skill being cancelled as The Shadow called 'Kirito' jumped backwards, empty eyes flashing golden for an instant as he warily stared at his destroyed weapons.

Meanwhile, Elysium's mind was in total chaos and confusion. She hadn't even made an attempt to assume the mindset needed to call forth her Concept and, even more, she no longer possessed her Crimson Reapers, the battle-claws through which she willed the Concept of Reality to take shape into this Plane of Existence, and that were an essential part she needed to do so. It was impossible that the Concept had just come down for her, so…

"…why?" asked The Shadow as he stared emptily to the newcomer.

…so the answer apparently was that, out of nowhere, a new figure, which looked exactly like a fully-armored (Sans the helmet) Elysium Syrom Revenant had appeared out of nowhere, slowly rising from the crouching possession 'she' had ended after cutting down both blades…and scowling fiercely towards 'Kirito' in a way the actual Elysium knew she would never do so calmly.

"Fuck you, that's why." came the simple reply from the newcomer, before 'she' glanced back at the open-mouthed Elysium. "Besides, just letting a shadowy version of myself kill a crying and pleading person that looks exactly like me would feel wrong in WAY too many levels."

"…Kazuto?" muttered the captain with a mix of shame and a hope.

"Yeah, more or less…or am I also you right now?" idly wondered the young teenager as the tail of the body he was inhabiting swept back and forth behind him, [Determination] vanishing from the crimson claws he had equipped, making him let out a gasp of pain. "Kuh…man, I can't believe you're actually used to call down this thing, Elly. I mean, I saw and _felt_ you arrive at that point, but I'm still feeling as if I was just forced to practice kendo against my grandfather without any gear for hours…and that only after 10 seconds of use."

"How further will your foolishness go?" questioned 'Kirito' while taking a step forward, raising the remains of his blades and pointing them towards Kazuto. "She killed us. Those very same claws you have right now tore our flesh apart with the will to end our lives. If it wasn't for Yhmos' powers acting out of our control, we would be dead for sure! You should know all of this very well, so…why do you protect her?! Is your naïve wish to 'not kill' really so great that…?!"

"No." sentenced the boy in the captain's body with a scarily cold tone, sending a shiver down Elysium's back at the sudden change. "This has nothing to do with that. It's not out of the kindness of my heart or my own beliefs about fighting…it's because I **know** why she did it. And while I can hate her for it if I want to, I can't condemn her…because, in her place, we may have very well done the same, if not out of duty then maybe out of fear. For myself and those I care about."

"…what do you mean?" emptily questioned The Shadow, not moving from his previous stance.

"C'mon, don't try to play smart with me. If you're really Me, then you saw her memories too. You know it's just like when we fought against Laughing Coffin." answered Kazuto with a voice barely above a whisper. "The only difference is that she went to battle knowing very well she would be forced to kill her enemy or die, and she had accepted it already."

Elysium was barely able to suppress both a scowl and a shiver at the memory, one that, surprisingly, had affected her less out of the many hardships the Black Swordsman had gone through in Sword Art Online.

After all, she had known very well the kind of lunatics were those of the Murder Guild. She had understood their mindset and knew that they wouldn't just surrender under the presence of overwhelming power and numbers. She had understood it…but the Front Liners hadn't, and they paid the price for it. They went to hunt Laughing Coffin thinking their enemy would surrender peacefully to protect their lives, but, instead, they had found mad monsters ready to die fighting, which caused them greater losses than a group as strong as theirs should have had.

Kazuto himself cut down two people that day, but he purposefully 'suppressed' those memories, that knowledge, and tried to go forth as if it had never happened. Unlike the captain from the Universal Alliance, the boy from Japan never asked nor committed or prepared himself for a fight that would make him take others' lives, so his brain reacted like that of any child faced with such an overwhelming trauma, blocking what his Survival Instincts, those of the 'warrior' Kirito, had made him do to keep living himself. It had only been recently that those repressed memories had resurfaced, and even then Kazuto had done his best to not think about them.

As a soldier of the Universal Alliance, Elysium had seen her fair share of breakdowns on the battlefield and had also killed in the name of duty many times. While sometimes it was heavy in her heart, she had never once regretted doing so, for it was for something she believed in…until now, that is.

But then, did his words mean that…?

"Ka-Kazuto…?"

"…does that mean you finally accept that what we did to survive was right?" finished The Shadow what Elysium was about to ask, tilting his head to the side as he stared at his silent other self. "That we had all the right to…"

"Never. That's something that I will never accept, no matter what, or I would stop being Kirigaya Kazuto." his surprising but determined words stunned both of them into silence, an inner fire burning in his eyes. "I understand, now, that what I did doesn't make me a monster…but it will never be justified. Those guys I killed with my blades, whose faces I cannot even remember…who says how they were before PoH filled their heads with all his smooth madness? Who says they didn't also have parents that cried for them beside their beds as their brains were fried, for reasons they will never know about? Yes, they choose their path of doom by themselves. And yes, I had all the right to fight back from their mad actions. I can accept that and I can make peace with it…but I will never justify the fact that I killed them. No matter the reason, taking a life will never be right. There will be times when there is no other option, yes…but the moment I start thinking there is nothing wrong with it, is when I will truly stop being human. That's something I also learned from her."

"That is…" started to say the shocked Elysium, before Kazuto sighed and looked to the side, suddenly seeming strangely awkward. "Uh?"

"Also…She asked me to help Elly too, and I have always had troubles denying a sad little girl."

Before the meaning of his words could even be processed, and as if it had been waiting for Kazuto's words, a new figure appeared on the scene, rushing towards the fallen form of Elysium, the captain that still looked like a black-haired human boy staring in open-mouthed shock at the small little girl in the regal dress and with the beautiful tiara over her head as she worriedly stopped at her side.

"A-are you okay, captain?" questioned the pink-haired little girl, her small bone-tail moving almost cutely behind her as she reached out with her hand to help her other-self to her feet. "Ah…yes, you seem to be fine. Thank Fate…"

"Yo-you…why…?" stammered Captain Elysium Syrom Revenant as she stared in shock at the figure holding her hands, as if unable to believe it.

The Princess Elysium of Yurandi just smiled brightly at her, forgotten innocence and a wish to see all the stars and their systems with her own eyes hitting her older-self harder than any weapon could.

"Because I have never once blamed you for the path you chose. It's also the path **I** chose, remember?" softly replied The Princess while letting go of her hands. "So please…don't cry. You're stronger than tears, after all."

In answer to the purely innocent words, the older one could only smile, releasing a sob and letting tears gather in her eyes as she hugged her other-self, softly whispered words of comfort coming from the young child as she awkwardly patted the teenager's back.

"…I see. So this is what you have chosen then, Kazuto?" questioned The Shadow called Kirito with that emotionless tone of his, dragging his other-self's attention back towards him. "Despite what is happening now? Because I know you can feel it too, this…whatever it is. Changing us, molding us…urging us to become something MORE."

"…yes, I feel it." replied Kazuto while closing his eyes, the gazes of both Elysiums moving towards him as he spoke, the black Aether Core pulsating under them. "…but what of it? I won't let it change me. I will remain true to myself, no matter what."

"Despite the chance it could give us? Think about it, with all that power at our complete control…we could make the world a better place." spoke The Shadow while walking around the silent human that looked like the alien captain. "A place where those we love don't have to suffer anymore, where madness like that of Laughing Coffin never repeats itself…where no one has to suffer losing their 'Sachi' anymore."

Elysium gasped and shook at hearing the name, forcing herself to shake her head and remember that those memories weren't actually hers while The Princess bit her lips and kept hugging her, both of them knowing that the boy's answer could change everything they…

"…and how would that make us any different from Kayaba Akihiko?"

Out of all the things he could have said, it was clear that no one was expecting that to be Kazuto's answer, as both sides of the alien girl and The Shadow fell in silent shock at hearing it.

"…our intent." quickly answered 'Kirito', though, despite his emotionless voice and faceless visage, one could almost feel some kind of 'doubt' seemed to have seeped in his tone. "We shall not do wrong to others with our powers! We won't imprison them, but do only what's good for the…!"

"Aincrad was not only grief and sorrow. There were also many good memories there. Not only for us, but also for many other people. And at the same time, no matter what crazy reason he had for it, I'm sure Kayaba never planned for something like Laughing Coffin to happen." mercilessly pressed on Kazuto, and, for an instant, his voice stopped being that of Elysium and returned to being his own. "Who is to say that horrible things wouldn't also happen if we try to 'do good' with our powers like that? The moment we think we have the right to decide what's better for others, just because we have the power to do so…the moment **I** do that, it's when I will lose myself. The power to 'play' as 'God' is something that no one should have, neither wish for. This world doesn't need any 'Gods'…"

For a second, scattered images seemed to float and fill the void: From those of a young girl smiling as she hugged her resurrected dragon friend to those of a pink-haired blacksmith handing over a beautiful bluish-white blade. From those of a girl of bluish-black hair seeking comfort at his side to those of a chestnut-haired rapier-user fighting beside him against powerful beasts. From those of a grinning samurai wannabe patting him on the back while joking about their lives to those of a bald shopkeeper greeting him back to his 'home' about his shop after another day in the Front Lines. From those of a pair of twins hugging each other in happiness to those of a bespectacled girl smiling resignedly as she was dragged around by them.

And to those of a girl with bluish-gray eyes, whispering happily about their love as she kissed him.

"…it just needs more good people."

"…so beautiful…" muttered The Princess in awe, staring at the countless fragments of memory.

Elysium herself said nothing, her gaze fixed upon the images through which she had 'lived' a while ago, wondering how anyone could only see the positive of their lives with such strength as the boy in black did.

"…is that your final answer?" softly muttered The Shadow, not looking at the memories but at the one standing before him. "Are you willing to fight for it?"

"To my last breath." answered Kazuto without any hesitation, seeing 'Kirito' tensing upon his words. "…but not against you."

Then, without any care, he gave his back to The Shadow and, ignoring his absolute shock, walked calmly towards the wide-eyed girls.

Neither shouting in rage not cursing him, barely making any sound, 'Kirito' shot forward, raising both of his destroyed blades and aiming to strike directly at Kazuto's back.

"Kazuto, watch out!" screamed The Princess while covering her mouth

"NO!" shouted Elysium while raising her right hand…

Both blades stopped just before touching their owner's other-self…their true owner. Stopping his advance, Kazuto smiled.

"…heh, I knew you wouldn't really hurt…"

And then, without warning, The Shadow was blasted away by a light of warped black energy, crackling around his body and sending him spiraling through the void, making Kazuto fall down into the inexistent 'ground' in the process.

"Grah…GUUUUUAAAHH!"

"Captain! Captain, no, calm down! Stop!"

Shocked, Kirigaya Kazuto raised his gaze towards the source of the screams and realized too late of his grave mistake.

After all, if he had been able to use the girl's 'claws', to call forth the Concept of Determination despite not being its true master, just because in that moment Reality was recognizing his Existence as that of her…what was there impeding the captain from using his, in that moment very unstable, Cosmic Powers?

Nothing at all. Such was the answer anyone could reach when they saw Elysium Syrom Revenant shaking in place, still looking like him while her eyes shone with an unholy void and twin **black** stars of 12 points, corrupted power flowing from the Aether Core under them and roaring into the void like some maddened beast, even as her younger-self backed away in horror.

"Stoooop iiiitttt! So much…poweeeer…! No oneeee should…have thiiiis muuuch…poweeeeerrrr!" erupted from the captain's throat, her voice once again hers and not his.

She couldn't control it. Kazuto idly realized this as he forced his borrowed body to stand, vaguely noticing The Shadow of 'Kirito' materializing at his side once again, still emotionless but looking scorched and battered. The alien princess turned captain had no way of holding down the massive powers of an Ancient Ruler (Unlike him, who had at least the time to let them 'grow' within him), which she had accessed without care when she thought his other-self was going to kill him, and now they were exploding out of her control.

The 'Universe' around them cracked, Elysium's screams intensifying as pulses of black energy crashed against The Princess and the other two, their own screams of pain joining hers as everything collapsed upon itself.

On the warehouse in Kawagoe, several shouts of fear and surprise emerged from the group as the black sphere shook and suddenly started to warp in all directions, Yhmos' eyes widening as it seemed about to burst one second and to collapse apart the next.

"Ca-captain…Elly…control it, please…!"

"Stop her…stop her or we will disappear…and everything will also die in the aftermath…!"

"I…can't…" growled Kazuto in answer to the Princess' desperate plea and The Shadow's pained order. "The powers are…out of control…changing…unstable…! At this state, I'm not sure even I…wait…that's it! ELLY!"

"GUaaaaa…..?!" was all that came from the captain's mouth, her looks as the black-haired human started to crack apart too.

"Concentrate in…something…! Something harmless…will the power to do…anything! Anything but…this…!"

 _'I can't do that.'_ was what Elysium wanted to scream in answer. The pain was already too much, never mind the overwhelming sensation of being an ant suddenly entrusted with the raging power of a thousand million typhoons.

But…it was the least that she owed the boy. For having tried to kill him…no, for actually having done the act, only failing because of the Tyrant's powers…his powers saved him. No matter if she did it for the right reasons, just like he had said about the lives of the Laughing Coffin's members he took, it would never make it right.

If breaking apart doing this was to be her atonement and her final act…so be it.

Concentrating, the only remaining Captain of the Float from the battleship Star Hunter gathered her will as she usually did when calling forth her dear [Determination], concentrating it all in a single thought.

 **"I want to see…!"**

 _'…my mother's face.'_ were supposed to be the last selfish thoughts of Elysium Syrom Revenant, but in that moment the power overwhelmed her damaged psyche and made the last part of her mental order to break apart into pained screams.

And so, Reality complied with the broken order, and the inhabitants of that collapsing Inner-Universe **SAW** …

 _There was a boy in black, rage and Will filling his eyes, as he battled against a contemptuous Fake Goddess, on the top of a white tower that cast shadows over the entire world-_

* * *

Things were being unusually quiet in the base camp of the Star Hunters. Of course, given the things that had happened in the last hours, maybe that was to be expected, or at least that's what Kayaba Akihiko told himself.

Between the catastrophic Operation they had tried to execute and 'The Scream' that had followed it (Which was the most disturbing thing the father of virtual reality had ever had the displeasure of experimenting) things had already been bad enough, never mind general Moria rushing to the source of the phenomenon barely a minute after its end and confirming captain Revenant's death, which had sunk the morale of the aliens even further.

And then, little time before the snake-like alien returned, the Ghost Walker squad had warped back to the camp, with 3 of its members incapacitated after having lost their suits and lieutenant Konik in a critical state.

Kayaba hadn't really been able to see the 4-armed alien as it was transported to their small (By their standards) medical facility, but he had been able to overheard enough and also listen to enough rumors to know that Rarun was lucky of being alive. The several broken bones and internal bleeding he was suffering notwithstanding, the lieutenant apparently had suffered enough damage on his spine that it would have killed several men, and had only been able to keep going because of some special aspect of his species that activated upon strong emotions, overwhelming rage in this case, but even that hadn't been enough to keep him conscious after receiving the strong blow that had broken so many of his bones. In fact, if what he had heard was right, the 4-armed alien was already extremely lucky that the tank-body the enemy 'mechanoid' had been possessing had its cannon so damaged that the projectile came out broken and with not even half its usual pressure, otherwise he would have been very likely torn apart. Honestly, the only positive thing that seemed to have come out from the lieutenant's attack was that the 3 soldiers that had been piloting the hijacked tank had been able to safely get away from the fight and ask for a Warp back to base.

All in all, it could be said that things had already been going terribly for the group of otherworldly 'visitors'…and, of course, that was when the droid Flint had detected an unknown object entering Earth's atmosphere and crashing somewhere in the north of Japan.

Faced with no other option, and probably having a very similar opinion to Kayaba's about how everything just didn't stop going to hell, general Moria, just returned from Tokyo Tower, had been forced to gather a small team and a magician before warping towards the area of impact, on a mission to 'assess the situation and retrieve the unknown object if necessary'. Officially, they just wanted to make sure the fallen object wasn't anything related to them (Or that could complicate things even more), and leave it be if that was the case. After all, the humans could take care themselves of looking over any piece of simple space-trash that fell on their planet, or so had Gahul said.

Of course, the scientist knew very well that the snake-like alien, like him, was probably expecting the worst to come from whatever had crashed on the country from outer space, giving that the timing was just too 'perfect' to be a simple coincidence. At this point, Kayaba wouldn't be surprised if something like a crazy killer machine or a forbidden experiment that were onboard their ship had somehow survived and now fallen to the Earth just to make the already chaotic situation even worse.

It may sound like something very stupid to think of outside the plot for a sci-fi movie, but, at this point, the man in the gray coat felt as if their lives were turning into something very much like that.

However…there had also been some 'positive' things to come out of the disasters of tonight, at least from _his_ point of view.

He had been able to confirm that, indeed, it was the Black Swordsman from Aincrad, Kirito, who now possessed the Tyrant's feared powers, those that the 'Star Hunters' were willing to go so far as to cause this chaos to destroy. And also that, among the group of inhumanly powerful and skilled females that aided him (Who had been called 'Servant of the Tyrant' by the aliens) were not only his former second in command, Asuna 'The Flash', but also two slightly notorious SAO Survivors, Lisbeth the Blacksmith and Silica the Beast Tamer. While it was obvious that they hadn't come out of the last confrontation unscathed, it was also telling that they had all survived and that, with the right and careful actions he could use that knowledge to stop the possible end of the world.

Such had been the thoughts he had been really thinking deep inside while, to not raise suspicion, spent the time visiting Okam, the ex-Ghost Walker in his special 'fish tank' (Under the excuse to inform him of the current situation and make small talk with his pseudo alien 'friend', given that a spare translator has been given to him) and later Rinko, with who he had done the same before sharing a bit of the info he had gotten. Idly, he wondered what did it said about his mental state that he felt calmer and at ease talking with the alien fishman that with the human woman, but decided to chalk it up to just how fucking crazy his life had been since the unexpected end of Sword Art Online.

The man's thoughts, however, were unexpectedly interrupted by a crackling sound coming not far from his current location (Taking a casual stroll near the center of the camp), which made him and the several soldiers nearby to look in surprise how the telltale shining of a Warping took place, blinding everyone for an instant before the sounds of several heavy things impacting the dirt echoed, followed by an annoyed grunt as the forms of General Gahul Moria and the team that had departed with him landed on the camp, a mixed air of anxiety and depression surrounding them.

What truly drew Kayaba's attention, however, were the 'pieces' that had fallen just behind them, leaving surprisingly deep craters on the ground as they sank as if they weighed many times what they seemed.

Cracked and with their color faded, there was something strangely otherworldly about the pieces of once-golden armor that made one's heart beat faster…

"…should I assume that you found something you weren't expecting?" calmly asked the father of virtual reality, masking his real concern while he felt many of the soldiers around them gasping in shock at seeing the damaged armor.

"Ssshut up, Kayaba, or I will throw you down a cliff." growled Gahul while slithering towards him, then stopping and looking around at the nearby soldiers. "Lower the alert sssystemsss and inform lieutenant Konik that no new threatsss have sssurfaced when he wakesss up. I will be resssting on my chambersss; it hasss been fuckin long night…"

"Bu-but, general…" fearfully spoke one of the nearby soldiers, her eyes never leaving the fallen pieces of armor. "I-isn't that…?"

"…yesss, it isss asss you sssuspect." coldly muttered the snake-like alien while looking down, a metaphorical frown on his reptilian face behind the helmet. "That'sss admiral Revenant'sss battle-armor."

A wave of whispers filled with awe, sadness, and fear quickly spread through the soldiers, both those who were there since the beginning and those that had just arrived at hearing the commotion.

"The-then…the admiral…?"

"He'sss gone, as we already knew." confirmed the general with a bitter voice, looking back at the broken armor for a moment. "We ssstill don't underssstand how hisss armor managed to get here in sssuch good ssstate, but the fact of the matter is that he wasss in the main bridge when the Star Hunter broke apart asss we exploded through Unreality after the Great Void tore apart all our defensssesss. Even if he managed to sssomehow sssurvive for an inssstant at the dessstruction of the ssship and follow after usss, the nonexissstence would have still ended him. And asss Time and Ssspace don't apply into Unreality, even if he wasss jussst an inssstant behind usss what remained of him ssstill ended up back in this Universsse long after usss…"

"…why is that armor so heavy?" questioned Kayaba Akihiko while staring towards the pieces of faded golden, the only one among the presents that hadn't fallen into a mourning silence.

"A DNA-locked Gravity Seal. Excelsior-level equipment has it so as to no one but its programmed owner can use it, and with good reason." muttered the magician that had gone with general Moria's group as he looked towards the scientist. "It multiplies the gravity around the armor's pieces by 50 times once activated, a mechanism designed so as that an enemy can't or would consider not worth the effort to try and steal the sealed equipment if its owner falls in battle. We had to warp it with us here, because, well…useless for them or not, we didn't want any humans finding the symbolic remains of our admiral."

 _"And, in its place, you leave an empty crater which, after the last hours' events, will only make everyone more paranoid about aliens having come to invade and destroy. Brilliant."_ were the thoughts that the man in the gray coat decided not to share out loud, instead opting for looking at the disassembled armor closed, idly wondering how the impossible-by-human-standards lock-system he had been just described worked.

Of course, this was in truth just a half-distraction. After all, the other half of his attention was centered on the few meaningless orders Gahul was giving as he retired to rest, and also on the whispers or even small prayers that the gathered soldiers were giving towards the ruined armor.

 _"The father of that Captain Elysium, eh? And also the man who convinced them all to follow after a being so powerful that they were like flies compared to it, just to protect their Universe…"_ silently thought Kayaba as he once again let his stare wander towards the empty and broken Excelsior armor. _"Well…at least the poor man died before having to see his daughter die at his enemy's hands."_

The scientist had no way of knowing that, just outside his and everyone else's perception, and yet still somehow lingering in that Plane of Existence through the fallen armor, _something_ heard his mental words.

For a fleeting instant, that alien consciousness froze. Then, it howled, in a parody of pain and sadness, an echo of something, or _someone_ who had once belonged to Reality.

 _"…ELYSIUM!"_

And yet, that echo somehow refused to vanish, even if the body, soul, and Existence of its origin were gone, consumed and ravaged by the unforgiving Unreality.

That was the Paradox. For, somehow, when 'He' had entered Unreality with all 3 parts that made him whole, instead of just his Existence, as it should normally be, the burning Will had fed on the Nothingness, and allowed the 'echo' to return to Reality, even if the one it had belonged to no longer existed, in this Universe or his original one.

Even so, that didn't stop the echo's sadness from changing, turning into a cold yet burning rage, hate deeper than anything a mortal should know, as it uttered a new, unheard, word.

And for the first time, it wasn't the same he had uttered until that moment.

 _"… **Tyrant** …"_

In his room on the depths of the base camp, General Gahul Moria stared with unblinking eyes at the innocently glowing jewel on his armored hand.

The Heart of Yurandi kept shining, its seemingly harmless light betraying the unholy and destructive power it held within.

And somewhere within the Omniverse [DESTINY] shifted his gaze.

Waiting…

* * *

It was so overwhelming.

So Beautiful. So Horrible. So MUCH.

In the end, she had to accept it, if these were to be the last things she ever saw…

 _She saw a young in black swinging an equally black sword against the massive blade of a mad swordsman, also in black but with the color of blood mixed in, two girls that could be nothing but twins watching their clash, one with eyes filled with concern and hope, the other with emptiness and fear-_

…then it was more than Elysium Syrom Revenant could have ever deserved, wanted, begged, refused or asked for…

"Kyaaah!"

"We must…!"

"S…stop…it…!"

 _She saw a figure covered in a black cloak, a metallic face like that of a skeleton covering his face, twin azure lenses letting him gaze at the world as he ran through a merciless desert, the screams of a girl with a massive rifle in her hands echoing as she tried to break free from a mechanic demon. Without hesitation, he brought forth his hands from within his cloak, energy swords that were also guns igniting into life as they cut through the air-_

So inspiring…

"Wha-what is this…?!"

"Don't look! Don't look or you will…!"

"This…is…?"

 _She saw a figure in a white tunic; her aura and eyes, staring through the holes of a featureless white, equal to those before despite being clearly female. Even so, her long dark hair flapped at a mighty wind, the staff with a glowing diamond on its tip that she held on her right hand summoning forth arcane power while the mirror-like short sword on her left one channeled it. And at her call, a myriad of mythic beasts rose, to combat against the hordes of darkness before them-_

So glorious…

"Captain! Captain! Elly, stop…!"

"No! It's working, the power is being extinguished! Just don't look and we shall…!"

"But…she's being devoured…!"

 _She saw a black machine; the once proud black colossus bleeding sparks and fire from all his joints as a white blade pierced him from side to side, going right through the cockpit where his pilot lay. The grip on his remaining black blade loosened, the other long gone together with his left arm, and as he heard the screams of his friends, while battle kept raging around them, the boy inside could only glare with hate and helplessness towards the crimson and white machine about to execute him, the white tower shield on its other hand shining and ready to release the beam that would end him-_

So despairing…

"No! W-we have to help her! We have to save her…!"

"I told you, it's pointless! This way, we…what are you doing?!"

"Kuh…! Taking back…what's mine!"

 _She saw a knight in black armor, bleeding on the ground, the sword as black as the night sky fallen from his grip as he stared with sorrow at the knight in blue standing over him. There was nothing of the warmth he remembered on those green eyes, now an empty coldness as he raised his blade, blue like a frozen rose, over his head. Ignoring the screams of the golden-clad girl rushing towards them, the knight in blue swung towards the black one's head-_

So heart-breaking…

"G-go! You can do it, Ka…!"

"Shut up! And you, come back! This…do you know what this is?! If you look too much, you will…!"

"I think you would know it better than anyone, but…doing nothing is not my style!"

 _She saw the black cloak of a boy flapping against the wind as he rushed side to side with a grinning man on a white lab coat, the younger one's eyes betraying only rage as he kept his black cap on his head. Suddenly, without warning, two beings that the World couldn't see emerging behind them, a massive crimson-white shield and a humanoid warrior with twin black swords, which he unleashed against its enemy's summoning with a distinctive battle cry-_

So bizarre…

"Wha-what's happening now…?!"

"Fool! The power grows unstable the closer you try to get! Stop, now!"

"Aaaagh…!"

 _She saw a figure clad in full black with silver lines over it, swinging from building to building with white shining lines, webs of steel-like strength. Silently, the young man landed atop a tall building, staring at Tokyo tower with a smile under his mask, the white lenses on his eyes and -the spider-like symbol on his chest reflecting the light of the moon as he jumped forward once again-_

So amazing…

"N-no…le-let's help him!"

"We're just reflections of their inner-selves! If we try to get closer, the torrent may end us!"

"Da-dammit…this isn't as…easy as it seemed…!"

 _She saw a little boy rushing through a long hallway, his dirty clothes not seeming to bother him as he scribbled on a notebook as if his life depended on it, the grip his hand had on the pen with which he was drawing seeming tight enough to hurt him. Just as several figures in military gear turned a corner and aimed their weapons at him, he turned around, ripping the page he had been working on and throwing it back, the badly-drawn parody of a samurai with a snake's head impossibly coming alive and lunging towards his now screaming pursuers, even as he kept running, eyes closed and hands over his ears as if to drown the sounds of the fight-_

So unfair…

"Ah! He is…!"

"How in the…?! Are you really so determined to…?!"

"Don't ask obvious questions, Shadow! Cut the path to your true mistress, [Determination]!"

 _She saw a metallic fortress of dark metal floating over a dead world, like a massive and gigantic grave. Inside, there was nothing but endless hallways and rooms, otherworldly technology so advanced it boggled the mind filling it…and in a single room, filled with holographic screens showing countless different images, the lonely form of a projected being floated in silence, sadness, and longing shrouding the mechanic hologram's being as he looked at lives that he would never live-_

So lonely…

"…wait, why are you pulling out that…?!"

"…so, is this truly the path you will choose? Why?"

"Because…even if I'm really no one to say how much worth someone's life has…I know hers is worth saving…!"

 _She saw a black-haired boy rushing through a strange land, followed by two familiar girls, strange creatures followed beside them as they talked about something urgent. Then, they arrived at the edge of a cliff, a battle between many creatures taking place in the land bellow them. Without hesitation, the humans raised the strange devices they had been carrying on their hands, the creatures accompanying them jumping off as their forms changed and their powers grew before the devices' light, their partners quickly following as they turned their devices into weapons, the boy landing on the head of his now flying companion as he raised twin blades of black light-_

So unexpected…

"Ah…he's going to…!"

"…oh."

"Hey…wake the hell up already, Elysium!"

 _She saw a boy with a ragged cape rushing through a forest, his black clothes torn and stained with crimson. Without hesitation, he emerged from the mass of trees, turning around and staring at something MASSIVE that moved through the forest at insane speeds. Ignoring the worried and scared cries of a young girl with tea-colored hair for him to stop, the boy raised his right hand, the bandages that covered it having lost most of their white color thanks to how bloody they were. She saw that the boy was lacking 'something', as if a fire that had once burned within his eyes was gone now…_

 _Even so, when the building-sized centipede-like abomination emerged from the trees, with a screaming boy of green eyes hanging from its humanoid face thanks to an axe, he showed no hesitation at all. And so, he reared back his fist, and PUNC-!_

With a gasp and a scream, Elysium saw no more, feeling a sharp pain piercing her chest and an agony unlike any other tearing her apart…!

And then she was okay, blinking and gasping, feeling more tired than ever, but okay, whole, the sensation of those visions and of that otherworldly power that made her feel like an ant gone…

That was when she realized two things. One, she was once again 'herself'. As in, not only her mind but also her looks were once again those of Elysium Syrom Revenant, 1st Captain of the Float. Second, she was clumsily wielding between her battle-claws the blade she had destroyed, Azure Vanquisher…and she was piercing the frozen form of Kirigaya Kazuto with it, right through the center of his chest.

Shock gave way to horror, then to an unholy terror filling her being as she let go of the sword, a scream forming itself on the depths of her being and begging for release, threatening to break her sanity.

Not again, not again! She had done it aga…!

"Guha! Fuck! Damn, this hurts!" shouted the black-haired boy while standing up…and not bleeding to death or seeming about to pass out from the supposedly fatal injury, as the now paralyzed alien girl had believed. "Ugh…okay, maybe everyone around me is right. I really should try to think things through a bit more."

Then, unceremoniously, he pulled Azure Vanquisher out of his chest, no blood leaving the wound as it quickly closed itself, even his black shirt being restored as he let the mental image of the blade vanish from his hand, looking at the frozen captain with an annoyed scowl, though there was a hint of relief hidden within if one knew how to look.

"…I'm supposed to be the instincts and impulses. You're supposed to the one who has our common sense." flatly spoke The Shadow of 'Kirito' as he walked besides his other self, his emotionless voice somehow seemed even hollower as he stared at the boy. "Our possibilities of living a long life don't look good if both of us think in such suicidal ways."

"Oh, shut up. It worked, didn't it?" shrugged it off Kazuto with a small glare, before directing it back to the still unresponsive Elysium. "And you! I know I told you to do _anything_ , but, next time you have powers that can bend the laws of Time and Space on your grasp, please, DON'T try and use them in a way that can turn our consciousness into a cosmic puddle…what the hell was that, anyway?"

"I…ah…" muttered the captain, still seeming unable to properly react, and that wasn't helped when her own other-self crashed on her back, hugging her tightly. "You…"

"Thank Fate…thank Fate you're okay…" sobbed The Princess as she tightened her hold.

"As if you didn't know. We have gone through enough fiction works and videogames during our childhood to have a pretty good idea." spoke The Shadow while staring at the boy, ignoring the exchange between the two females. "Those were parallel worlds. Other Universes, loosely tied to this one. When Miss Captain there tried to use our power to give orders to Reality, it somehow must have interpreted it as wanting to see Beyond, and as the Cosmic Powers recognized her as 'Kirigaya Kazuto' in that moment, it showed her…other Kazutos, so to speak."

"You mean, those were other versions of him…of you two? From this Multiverse?" wondered The Princess while trying to recall the fleeting images they had seen through the torrent of power, remembering them becoming harder by the second for some unknown reason. "Some of them looked impressive…and…"

"Terrifying. Some seemed terrifying in their own ways." whispered Elysium while staring at her younger self, before slowly turning towards the two selves of the boy standing not far from them. "And some…looked sad…"

"Very sad…and in trouble." added Kazuto while crossing his arms, a worried scowl in his face. "In fact, some of them looked as if they were about to…"

"Stop. Stop right there, Kazuto, because I know that look. It's the one you get whenever you're about to get into a mess that goes against how you usually act for the sake of someone else, but I have to put a limit when it goes this far." cut him off 'Kirito' while painfully squeezing his arm, though gaining nothing more than a raised eyebrow in return. "Our own life is already messed up enough as it is, and we still have a ton of problems in our own that we have no idea how to solve. You don't have the time to be worried for versions of yourself in parallel Universes, nor even the knowledge to use your powers in a way to actually help them. Prioritize your own life, for once, and…believe in that they will be fine by themselves."

"…guess the whole 'believe in myself' thing has never been truer than in this case, eh?" rhetorically asked the black-haired boy with a resigned sigh, The Shadow letting go of him upon recognizing his acceptance of the request. "Okay then, talking about my own problems…what about you? Are you still going to question my decisions?"

"…I have never truly had the right to do so. After all, I'm mere instincts and drive, a shadow of yourself created to survive. 'Kirito' cannot exist without 'Kazuto', after all, and as such cannot question the path you choose…" suddenly The Shadow's eyes glowed ominously, power and killing intent so thick it would have frozen lesser men in fear pouring from it in such a heavy way that Elysium's whole body tensed to strike and The Princess whimpered on her back. "But always remember…because of the life you have chosen, 'Kazuto' cannot be himself without 'Kirito' anymore either. Two faces of the same coin, intrinsically different, polar opposites…"

"Yet the same one, in the end. I know…I know that now. You're me…" as he spoke those words, The Shadow vanished, like cosmic dust, entering the boy's body and, suddenly, leaving him clad in that familiar black coat he had worn for so long while trapped in that marvelous and terrible Floating Castle. "…and I'm you."

"…well, I think that's my cue to get going too." softly commented The Princess while letting go of her older-self, earning a shocked look from her. "Don't look so surprised now. I only came out because you needed help in a bad situation…and I wasn't even able to help you myself. In the end, I'm not like his other self. I have no power besides comforting words, childish dreams, and good wishes…"

"You…" whispered Elysium while reaching to touch the child's head, making her giggle. "…yes, maybe that's right. But…sometimes, even those with the most power need a bit of that, too, to not become monsters…right?"

"…heh. As long as you never forget that, I don't mind being forgotten. And I won't regret becoming you." happily speaking those words, The Princess' form started to vanish, turning into ethereal light as if flowed around her older self. "After all, I will always be you…"

"…and I will never forget, that a part of me is you." muttered the captain with closed eyes, filling the light entering her as her garb changed, her battle suit and claws being replaced by a ceremonial robe native from her home planet, her gaze opening to stare at her hands while wondering when had been the last time she hadn't worn her military equipment. "I swear."

Finally, in that strange Inner Universe reigned a peaceful silence, only broken by the occasional whisper of power coming from the massive Aether Core. Glancing at it, Elysium realized it had once again changed, as if finding a precarious balance.

Half of it was still jet black, while the other half had returned to being a bluish white. And ominous yet hopeful state, fragile yet strong, a paradox of contradictions that the ex-princess could no longer understand, her connection with it having been lost together with Kazuto's appearance…

"…well, I think I have been in here long enough." finally spoke out the boy in the black long coat, as if he had been waiting for he to think his name, even as his gaze also moved towards the warped Aether Core. "Whatever was happening with my powers seems to have calmed down, so now I have to face it head on, and everyone is probably worried sick about me…so, are you coming?"

"Eh?" blinking in surprise at the question, as if the meaning behind the words were alien to her, the captain stared towards Kazuto with confusion. "What…do you mean? I am dead, aren't I?"

"I…don't think either of us actually is, in the strictest sense. Given what Yhmos said in that talk the other day, I would probably know if I had died. I think that whatever happened with my Aether Core when your claws cut through me and accidentally reached it saved my life…my Existence and soul at least, if not my body." explained the gamer while tilting his head, the pink-haired girl looking away in guilty shame at the reminder of what she had done. "And…though I can't remember it properly, whatever happened just after that must have dragged you here with me, and it accidentally triggered something along the lines of what I did to Shino and Hecate…"

"You mean…it merged our Existences into one? While that would explain how we…shared memories, it still doesn't explain…all of this." commented Elysium while staring around at the Inner Universe, then at her hands. "Neither…the two of them…"

"Hey, I'm not an expert in Cosmic phenomena or in that old man's race, you know this firsthand, I'm just speculating. But, given the lack of that 'duality' that Shino mentioned, I would say that we haven't been irreversibly fused at least…" releasing a tired sigh, Kazuto gave the silent captain a look for a moment. "Problem is, I don't know what's going to happen to you once I get out. You may be somehow freed, get stuck in my head…or scatter into dust, I have no idea…"

"Yeah…you never did finish that manual." chuckled the alien girl with a bittersweet tone, shaking her head while giving him a serious look. "It doesn't matter anymore. You have very precious people waiting for you, and I have no right for to ask for your help or worry. Heed the words of your other self and worry only about yourself for once…go, Kazuto."

"…have you really gone through my memories?" rhetorically asked the boy while sighing again, before hardening his eyes and giving his back to her. "Okay then, have it your way. I'm going to get out of here, without looking back…and I expect you to follow me to sort that horrible mess we made outside, Elysium Syrom Revenant."

"Wha-what?!" shock didn't even begin to describe what Elysium felt as her diamond-shaped pupils widened and her face snapped towards the retreating boy. "What are you talking abo…?!"

"You got a bunch of murderous alien soldiers from another Universe on my ass thinking I'm some evil Space God, then realized an unauthorized military operation on a Non-Alliance and non-enemy planet without any warning to its inhabitants, not to mention blowing up a medical facility, if mostly abandoned, with an anti-matter weapon. You have a lot to answer for, 1st Captain of the Float." coldly replied the gamer without even looking back, but the alien girl (Who literally knew him as well as himself) was able to detect a small hint of mocking humor in his tone. "…but, if you're really so coward that you prefer to die and leave others to clean up your mess, then I guess everyone always misjudged you. Goodbye."

Without further words, the invisible 'ground' suddenly broken under Kazuto's feet, not even a shout or gesture of surprise coming from him as he fell towards the suddenly shining Aether Core, vanishing within its shine. A second later, the Inner Universe started to collapse.

Still standing there with a dumbfounded look, Elysium stared at the place where the black-haired boy had vanished, before slowly looking down at her hands, thinking.

Her objective was achieved, in a way. Her Universe had been freed and their enemy no longer had the power to do anything to anyone again, not to mention that he was already dying. And his mighty Cosmic Powers had been left in the hands of someone she could swear with all her heart would never use them for any nefarious or selfish purpose. Not to mention, she had no way of going back home with her mother, and her father had died to bring them there. She had no reason to not perish there with that imaginary universe in a way to try to atone for her sins against Kirigaya Kazuto and his friends…but…

The captain remembered the gamer's words, musing about the truth in them. Gahul and Rarun had no idea about the truth, and would more than likely continue their crusade against 'The Tyrant', which would no doubt escalate now that their situation had grown extremely desperate, what with their presence on the planet all but exposed to the humans. Her 'uncle', especially, would probably seek to do everything in his power to 'avenge' her death. In the worst-case scenario, it could all end with a terrible and unnecessary bloodbath…one that, for once, she had all the ability and reasons to stop.

Her gaze hardening as her fists clenched, the alien girl took a decision. Closing her eyes and concentrating on everything she could remember of Kazuto using his powers and from his brief readings through the 'manual', she prayed to Fate for one last chance to do things right and, without hesitation, jumped after the boy just as everything around her fell apart…

Back in the warehouse on Saitama's outskirts, the group was still staring/analyzing the black sphere, the tension and worry among them having clearly skyrocketed since the strange 'incident' of before, when it seemed the thing was either going to explode or vanish into nothingness. Two of the AIs showed this by continuing an even more exhaustive analysis of the mysterious object with any system they hadn't tried before, and even with some they had already done so once again, despite having said earlier that any further analysis would be futile.

The only one that didn't reflect any of those feeling at all was Yhmos, whose holographic image was staring silently at the sphere, still as a statue for almost 30 minutes already.

Someone finally seemed to have enough of that, the girl's gaze moving towards him as she stood up and walked his way, surprising everyone except the Ancient Ruler himself.

"You know something else, don't you?" asked Suguha with a low voice, fist clenched slightly as she stopped before the fallen Cosmic Entity. "Something else has been bothering you since the beginning; otherwise you wouldn't have continued staring towards that thing like that for so long."

"…look, girl, there are some things a creature as young as you can't…"

"Yes, I know I'm only 15 years old. Yes, I know that maybe I'm like a baby to a being that has lived a bazillion ones like you. And yes, maybe most of this stuff about Cosmic Powers, aliens, and other Universes, Multiverses or whatever goes way over my head…but I don't care about any of that. I care about Onii-chan, and anything that could hurt him." coldly replied the young kendoka while glaring towards Yhmos, her eyes glowing weakly with power as a faint light could be seen coming from her mark through her shirt. "And if anything happens to him because you didn't tell us something that could have helped him, I swear I will find your damned servers and find a way to erase just you from existence in the most painful way possible, even if I have to spend the rest of my life learning how just to do so."

"…Suguha-san…" muttered Keiko in awe while staring at her.

"…holy shit, that was one badass threat, girl." agreed Rika from where she was sitting right beside the younger girl.

"…can we please don't threaten each other until this situation is solved? It would be counterproductive." sighed Shino while trying to sound indifferent, even if her tone didn't quite hide the admiration the girl's words had caused her.

"Sugu-chan…" calmly whispered Asuna while putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder, giving her an understanding look. "While I get where you're coming from, antagonizing him right now won't help…"

"…the color is wrong." suddenly interrupted Yhmos while looking away from Suguha, making everyone look at him in shock. "The 'color' of an Ancient Ruler's 'chrysalis' should be the same one as that of their Aether Core, meaning, that which reflects how Reality sees their existence.

"…and the problem with that is?" questioned Aiko with a raised eyebrow, though she had a good idea what it was about.

"My Aether Core's color is a bluish-white, as most of you should be aware of by now." Eyes narrowing, the Ancient Ruler once again looked towards the black sphere, as if trying to force it to reveal its secrets. "But this chrysalis is black."

The new silence was quickly broken by Yui before it could go on too long.

"…what does that mean?"

"I don't know." confessed the fallen Cosmic Entity with a frown. "And that's what worries me."

"Great…as if we didn't have enough things to worry about already." sighed Shino while shaking her armored head.

"Hey, don't worry, Shino-lady! I'm sure the boss will be fine!" tried to cheer Elucidator from his place over the half-destroyed tank. "After all, he…!"

"Wait…Shino-chan, your voice is normal again!" pointed out Yuuki while tearing her eyes away from the black sphere, her worried look changing into a surprised one as everyone blinked and looked towards the metallic black giant.

"Uh…? Wait, you're right…Hecate, what's going on?" questioned the hybrid with a hint of worry.

 **'…Zzzzz…'**

"…how the hell can you fall asleep?!"

 **'…Ah…sorry partner, I'm kind of…beat. Re-arranging all that material was…exhausting, but it's done now…Compressing, activate.'**

Before Shino had time to question what she was talking about, the holographic projections of Yhmos and his daughters vanished from view as everyone saw with shock how the hybrid's body 'shrunk', bubbling as if the metal once again became liquid and was being sucked towards the inside.

In less than 20 seconds, the human-sized female figure of black metal they had more or less grown used to was back, though now with more noticeable and harder-looking armor covering every inch of her body (Even if it was still just barely above the 'decent' or 'scandalous' description). Then, with a soft gasp, the metal receded from her face and into her skin, leaving a half-naked Asada Shino standing there in just her underwear and the tattered remains of the shirt and skirt she had put on last night.

"…let me be the first to tell you, that was very cool, Shino-chan." smiled Aiko while giving the bespectacled girl a thumbs up while she was looking at herself in shock and stepping on the ground carefully, confused.

"That…makes no sense. E-even if you managed to somehow put all that metal away inside us, I…I should still be weighing a ton, but…"

 **'Please, partner, don't try to apply the -logic- of this planet's technological limitations to that of the cutting-edge piece of tech like my part of our body is.'** boasted the living suit while the rest of the girls drew closer to the still shocked hybrid. **'It was tiring and long, yeah, but by no means impossible!'**

"Uhm…do you want my jacket, Shino-chan?" awkwardly muttered Yuuki while taking it off, making the aforementioned girl blink before squeaking at realizing the ruined state of her clothes, gratefully reaching for her roommate's jacket and covering herself with it as best as she could.

"HECATE!"

 **'What? It's not my fault I need to shred your clothes to burst the armor out and back in…at least I didn't eat it this time!'**

"There, there, you can calm down, Shino-chan." comforted her Rika while patting the embarrassed hybrid's back. "We're all girls here, so you don't have to worry about a thing. Besides, you have a nice body for your age, so you should be proud!"

"…leave it to Liz-san to say something like that in this situation." sighed Keiko with a faint smile while shaking her head, making everyone release a small chuckle, the heavy mood noticeably lightening.

"…oh, someone is calling." suddenly interjected Elucidator while standing up…before a screaming voice came from his speakers as a familiar face appeared on his chest-screen.

"Hey, what gives?! Say something if you're going to cut off the line out of the blue!" protested Yui while trying very hard to ignore how most of her sisters were trying to peek over her shoulder to also look through the small screen (Strea the most), their father the only one just sitting in silence and hearing the conversation. "What if something happened while we weren't…?!"

The Black Sphere **_pulsed_**. Everyone stiffened; eyes and camera-lenses shooting towards the floating phenomenon, seeing how its surface was rippling and shaking.

For a single second, it seemed to once again change color, making Yhmos stand up in shock once again as half of it became blue-white and the other an even deeper black.

Then, unceremoniously and without fanfare, the sphere 'cracked' like a hatching egg, before _something_ emerged from its depths, falling forward amidst a sudden blinding light of raw power.

For a moment, everyone believed to see an alien visage, a tall and humanoid form darker than the night and with eyes that seemed to reflect the depths of outer space…

But then the moment passed and, with a sound of energy 'rushing', it was the familiar form of Kirigaya Kazuto what fell to the ground, naked and drenched in sweat from head to toe, gasping for breath as if it was the first time he was breathing in his life.

Overall, nothing seemed wrong or out of place with him…except by the fist-sized 12-pointed star half-emerging from the center of his chest, seemingly made of some sort of crystal, half of it white-blue, half of it a deep black.

When he raised his face to look towards the paralyzed group, his eyes were shining as endless pools of void in which 12 pointed stars shone, both of them also divided in half by the opposing colors. Then, the boy blinked and his eyes were once again normal, human ones, the light coming from the crystal on his chest vanishing and leaving it colorless as he tried to stand.

Everyone felt it, in that moment. That 'bond' of power they had and that had been feeling 'muted' for hours suddenly returning full force, feeling almost overwhelming for an instant.

"Onii-chan…Kazuto. You're okay…" whispered Suguha when she was able to open her mouth, the waves of relief hitting her paralyzing her in place as tears gathered in her eyes.

Her words also seemed to have the effect of realizing everyone from their shock-induced paralysis, the girls and one phone-bot jumping to their feet and calling for the boy's name as they rushed forward, the young kendoka just a second after them when she managed to move too.

Despite having been doing his best to stand by himself, the gamer didn't offer much resistance when Asuna all but dragged him to his feet, the chestnut-haired girl being the first to arrive at his side.

"Hah…hey there…" hoarsely spoke Kazuto while looking at the former sub-commander, noticing her kinda-ruined dress before his gaze moved over everyone's worried, tired and now also relieved looks. "Sorry if I…worried you too mu…"

The feeling of a pair of lips over his silenced him, the boy idly aware of several gasps, squeaks and strangled sounds coming from around him. It only took him a moment to realize why, too.

It was Asuna who was kissing him, the chestnut-haired girl almost seeming to want to strangle him as she held him close to her, before finally letting him go as he stared at him with a teary and blushing face.

"Yo-you idiot…! Do you have any idea…how worried…?!" slowly, the former sub-commander trailed off, her face changing from angry relief to shock, then to horror as she paled and let go of the boy while taking a step back, as if just realizing WHAT she had done, suddenly aware of the awed/frozen/jealous stares she was getting from everyone around…and also how their eyes quickly seeming to zero into someone behind her.

Shakily, Asuna did the same, coming almost face-to-face with Suguha's blank expression, the young kendoka's mouth slightly open as she looked at her with a strangely emotionless gaze.

"…uh." smartly commented Kazuto as his brain finished to reboot, not knowing if he should be blushing in embarrassment or paling in fear.

"Su-Sugu-chan, I-I'm s-so sorry! I di-didn't mean to, I-I mean, it was just a spur of the moment thing a-and…!" Asuna's increasingly desperate excuses were silenced by the youngest Kirigaya putting her hands over her shoulders, making the older girl stiffen.

Somehow, she knew that, if the girl tried to hit her, she wouldn't have any right to defend herself or hit back this tim…

"It's okay, Asuna." unexpectedly said Suguha with a resigned look. "I'm not angry."

"…you're not?" asked the stupefied Asuna.

"You're not?!" questioned Keiko and Rika at unison.

"That's…not normal. Right?" wondered the confused and blushing Yuuki while looking at her twin.

"I'm not much more of an expert in relationships than you, Yuu, but I think so too…" opined Aiko with a similar, if more composed, look on her face.

"Well, I AM a bit upset, if you must know!" quickly stated the young kendoka while giving everyone an annoyed glare. "…but I can understand being overwhelmed by your emotions and acting impulsively after everything that happened tonight, so I won't get angry at you or anything…just try to not let it happen again, okay?"

"Ye-yeah, that goes without saying, Sugu-chan! I-it won't happen again…" stuttered Asuna as the girl that had become one of her closest friends in an insanely short amount of time smiled and walked past her, towards the boy she loved…and that she had enjoyed kissing more than anything she could remember in her life.

She quickly suppressed the memory of her thoughts from hours ago at the New Year's party while she saw Suguha hugging the life out of the still kind of stunned Kazuto…but idly realized that, suddenly, the idea seemed much less crazy and more appealing…

"…never again try to do something like that on your own, okay?! Promise it now, Onii-chan!"

"I-I promise, Sugu! I…I'm sorry about all of this…" whispered the black-haired boy while passing a hand over his girlfriend's hair, she trying her best to keep glaring at him while blushing when he did so. "Tonight…has been crazy in way too many ways, and…heavens, I don't even know where to begin telling you…"

"…are you two going to kiss too?" honestly asked Rika while staring fixedly at the siblings, making them blush and Keiko at her side to look down. "Because we can jut look away if you want…"

"…how about someone worries about the fact that he's freaking naked?!" finally shouted Shino while breaking her unusual silence, the bespectacled girl's face beet red as part of her helmet covered the upper half of it to prevent her from seeing _more_ of what she had already seen.

It was at that moment that Kazuto and all the other girls finally seemed to acknowledge the fact that the gamer was, in fact, naked as the day he was born, and had been standing there with them like that for a while.

The reactions were certainly varied, from Rika's eyes opening as saucers (But not looking away), Keiko covering her own eyes (While 'discreetly' looking through her fingers), Yuuki squeaking as Aiko quickly covered her eyes (Doing her best to look away while trying to 'protect her little sister's innocence') and Asuna gulping and shaking her head while a crimson-faced Sugu took off her own jacket fast as lighting and gave it to the equally panicking Kazuto, who tried to at least cover his waist with it as best as he could.

"…I don't think I can unsee that…not that I want to, but…"

"…awawawa! I-I didn't mean to…see…Kirito-san…!"

"A-Aiko-nee, s-stop thaaat!"

"N-no way, Yuu! You're still to-too young to see things like tha-that!"

"Ah…uhm…d-do you need help, Sugu-chan, Kirito-kun…?"

"N-no, don't worry, it's fine now! Right, Onii-chan?!"

"…I don't think I have ever felt more embarrassed in my life…" muttered the gamer while looking to his feet, blinking at seeing a certain phone-bot standing there. "Oh…Elucidator…"

"There, there, boss, don't feel bad! Think of the good side, at least no one was recording that!"

"Yes…that's certainly a good thing…" commented Yui through the still ongoing call, pretending not to notice how Strea hummed innocently as she finished saving a video file and making a note of demanding her to hand it over later for…reasons, even as her other sisters deadpanned towards the lilac-haired one (Or looked at her with grief, in Haru's case). "But…we're all glad you're okay, Kazu…"

"What…is that?" questioned Yhmos while breaking his silence, and everyone thought for a moment he was pointing towards Kazuto…before the boy himself looked behind him, back towards the black sphere had been, everyone else doing so at the same time.

That was when they realized the broken remains of the sphere hadn't vanished, but have started to contract and spin over each other after falling to the ground, like some sort of pulsating worm…which broke as a new figure emerged from it with a pained scream, staring forward as if unable to believe she was alive.

Of course, that was when the new figure seemed to realize that something was wrong. If anyone had to guess, it probably was related with how claws of red bone seemed to cover her hands all the way to the forearm's end, wickedly sharp and menacing. And that was without mentioning how her previously diamond-shaped pupils now had the shape of 12-pointed stars.

Slowly looking towards the shocked group not far from her while her tail weakly moved near her feet, the pink-haired girl spoke in a trembling yet strangely natural Japanese.

"Ah…I think I messed up…"

And that was as far as Elysium Syrom Revenant went before she crashed to the ground face-first.

* * *

While he was used to not sleeping for long periods of time, Kayaba Akihiko certainly wasn't used to simply being unable to fall asleep. Trashing on his Spartan bed for the twelfth time in almost two hours, the scientist finally gave up and stood up, walking out of the small part of the camp's barracks where he was allowed to rest and wandering about while staring at the moon.

"…I guess all this madness is taking its toll on my questionable sanity…" muttered the father of virtual reality as he shook his head. "Well, whatever. After they see that e-mail I sent to Asuna-kun (One would think aliens would be more careful with keeping an eye in the human they let on their command room during a crisis situation) things should get into motion. I should make sure to Rinko out of her 'cell' in the morning, probably won't be too hard with Gahul apparently not giving a fuck about us anymore, and then we have to start…"

Stumbling, Kayaba didn't have time to even cry out before falling and crashing painfully against something hard and cold. When the pain from his head's side subsided, the blinking man realized that the thing he had fallen on was the helmet of the broken and destroyed armor near the center of the camp, the last physical memento of the Star Hunters' first leader having already created a small crater on the earth thank to its gravity-increased weight.

The scientist was quick to shake his head and scold himself, unable to believe that he had been so distracted with his thoughts he hadn't noticed the obvious obstacle…when _something_ echoed inside his head.

 _"…Tyrant…"_ growled an angry echo, a thought somehow given form.

"What?!" shouted the startled Kayaba, before his eyes widened as the helmet before his face shone, tendrils of colorless energy exploding from within and burying themselves into his head. "GAAaaahh…!"

 _"…Kayaba Akihiko…"_ echoed inside the scientist's head, his scream being cut short barely after it began as something wrong and alien, something that did not belong on this Plane anymore, invaded his mind. _"…show me…The Tyrant…"_

"What…what is this…?" painfully thought the father of virtual reality as images of his life shot at top speed before his eyes, his childhood, education and most of his life until creating the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online being cast aside like unimportant credits. "Who…what…?"

"…show me…Elysium's killer…"

Images were forcefully pushed to the front of his mind. Thoughts and recollections mainly centered on something he had been able to confirm hours ago.

 _The Black Swordsman has the Cosmic Powers. The Black Swordsman…is Kirito._

 _Kirito. Kirito is the one the Star Hunters search for. Kirito is the one Captain Revenant tried to kill._

 _Therefore, Kirito killed Elysium Syrom Revenant._

 _And Kirito is…_

Another memory, this time like a hurriedly assembled video, was brought forth. He was Heathcliff, the Paladin. His mighty tower shield stopped one of the descending fists of the brutally powerful being that was the Boss of Floor 50, the Golden Buddha. Around him, players screamed, both in defiance and in fear, even as the 'Super Boss' continued pushing against them, the Knights of Blood doing their best to support their leader and keep the Raid from falling apart. Asuna herself was not far from him, leading a group of Damage Dealers to push against one of the Boss' feet…

And that was when **he** shot forward, just at the edge of his vision. A black blur moving as if he was at home in the battlefield, drawing many stares, of both awe and resentment, even his sub-commander's eyes being drawn towards the boy in black as his sword shot forward in a perfectly executed 'Vorpal Strike', a determined look on his face as he sought victory, not willing to give up even in the face of such overwhelming adversity, because he had a reason to keep going, a determination to go back home no matter what…

Kirito.

"Kirito."

 _"Tyrant…"_

Unable to even scream, the last thing Kayaba Akihiko saw was how the helmet and all the other parts of the broken armor suddenly shone with an otherworldly and empty light. Then, a mechanical voice softly announced something in the empty area.

 **-DNA Lock Removed. System Reboot…complete. Welcome, Admiral Revenant-**

Without making a sound or anything to betray its appearance, the helmet shot forward, 'opening' up in a way only a piece of futuristic tech could and clamping around the man's head.

It didn't seem to care that the human's frame was noticeably smaller than that of its original owner, for more of those colorless tendrils of unnatural power shot forward towards the other pieces of the armor, illuminating them with more of the _wrong_ energy and dragging them towards Kayaba's now floating body.

One by one, with heavy metallic sounds, the armor pieces reconnected with each other, closing themselves with sinister and unnatural sounds as the body inside started to shake and shine, as if power was bursting from the alien armor and into him, turning it into something else.

The tears and deformations on the metallic frame vanished. The burn marks upon its surface were erased. Then, like blood pouring out from the inside, a crimson red color replaced most of the previous golden, leaving only the edges and the mark of the Universal Alliance on its chest, that of the 12-pointed star being broken apart, with the mighty color.

From the darkened visor, light shone, diamond-shaped points of unnatural white light shining forth, even as a new mantle was forged from what seemed almost like liquid white fire.

As its shaking slowly stopped, a new tail 'emerged' from the specially designed protrusion on the armor's lower back, the appendage formed not from bone, as it once had been, but of more wrong and colorless 'power', whipping around like some abominable snake.

Clenching its mechanic hands, the reborn 'echo' of what one had been Orion Caius Revenant spoke, the voice of Kayaba Akihiko with an unnatural echo over it being what gave form to his words.

"Death to the Tyrant…"

 **-Engaging Nebula System…-**

With a hum of raging power, a small 'disc' emerged from the restored armor's right hand, which the unnatural being quickly used to smash the empty air at his side.

Reality cracked open as the disc released a warping pulse, a long and slender golden and blue vehicle emerging, something that a human would have probably described as a sharp-looking flying motorcycle.

Without even caring for the many alarms that had suddenly started screaming through the entire camp, the unnatural being jumped atop the vehicle, his wrong energy warping it and replacing its blue color with blood red. Then, without even actually sitting down or touching the controls, the Supernova Raptor accelerated and shot towards the heavens, smashing through the shield the alien survivors had erected around their camp at unholy speeds, just as several startled soldiers emerged from their barracks and looked around with weapons drawn, trying to identify what was the cause of the alarms.

Far away from them and already outside anyone's hearing, even as he finally sat on his personal vehicle, the thing that was an echo of Orion spoke once again.

"…revenge for my daughter…"

And as the inhabitants of Earth continued being mostly in shock by the events of some hours ago, the Fate of the world kept changing…

* * *

It was almost 5 in the morning of the year's first day when the group of not-so-normal teens walked through the streets of Kawagoe towards the Kirigaya's household, and the mood surrounding them was…quite hostile.

To be more precise, almost every girl walking around Kazuto was directing a scary amount of killing intent towards a specific person walking not far behind the group. Suguha and Asuna especially (Who were holding the boy's arms while continuously glaring back hatefully) seemed on the edge of summoning their weapons many times during the last 10 minutes, and it had only been the gamer's hands squeezing theirs what had dissuaded them from doing so, even if their animosity hadn't been reduced in the slightest. Hell, the boy was scared of how even _Keiko_ , together with Rika, was unable to not sent hateful looks at their silent follower.

Both Yuuki and Aiko were more worried about him, asking if he was okay from time to time and talking among themselves, but Kazuto had also been able to catch them sending an angry glare or two towards the back of the group.

There, Shino, being the most 'calmed' from all of them, 'escorted' the naked figure covered only by an oversized black cloak (Similar to the one he was now wearing, having returned her jacket to Sugu), who kept her head down and accepted all the hate and anger aimed at her without a word of complaint, spending most of her time staring at the bone-claws that had replaced her hands.

"…I guess these are fitting for someone who chose the path of the battlefield willingly…" muttered Elysium while closing her deadly sharp 'fingers', her star-shaped pupils fixed over their shining tips.

At her side, the bespectacled girl sent her an unreadable look. While she had been the one to not react with the sudden impulse to kill the alien when the only boy in the group had finished explaining who she was and vaguely described what had happened inside the 'chrysalis' (Reason why she had been chosen to be back there acting as her 'guard' after she surrendered to them as a 'prisoner of war' without resistance), that didn't mean she exactly liked her, but she could at least understand her sorrow. While their situations were clearly different, both in knowledge and intention, Shino knew very well how it felt to regret deeply taking a life (Or having tried to, in Elysium's case) and dealing with the aftermath of it. And maybe it was true that she was the less attached to Kazuto out of all the group, but she was still starting to consider the annoyingly friendly guy as a friend, and she knew that both Yuuki and Aiko (Who she _was_ starting consider as probably the closest friends she had ever had) did appreciate their savior deeply, so she was just feeling barely neutral towards the pink-haired 'scorpion' girl.

"…don't say that. I promise to find a way to fix it." softly muttered Kazuto while still looking forward, drawing confused looks from his adoptive sister/girlfriend and his 'best friend'.

Elysium, however, blinked at hearing the answer, realizing that the boy's inhumanly sharp senses must have picked up on her earlier words, making her release a mirthless chuckle and look forward.

"Do not bother. You have more important things to worry about, and this is way too little punishment given that you have been stopping them from maiming me after they knew what I did to you." casually commented the captain with a bitter smile, earning herself another wave of glares from every other female around.

Kazuto felt just glad he had cast a Mystery to keep them all 'ignored' by anyone who walked by. It was kind of late, but some people running and a couple police cars had actually passed them by several times by now, probably a direct result of the events in Yokohama.

Honestly, the only reason they were heading towards his and Sugu's home was because everyone was tired as hell and they still needed to think of a good excuse for Asuna's, Rika's and Keiko's families, who what that point had without a doubt noticed their absence and were probably worried sick about them. So, unless he quickly discovered how to surgically alter human memories during the next few hours (Something that was going to be nigh-impossible even if Yhmos hadn't suddenly cut off the call through which he and his family had been keeping an eye on him and the girls as soon as Elysium emerged from the 'chrysalis'), they were all going to need a miracle to…

"…hey boss? Can I ask a question?" suddenly spoke Elucidator from his place on Suguha's shoulder, the phone-bot having been usually silent since they exited the warehouse…and currently looking straight at the pink-haired alien, for some reason. "…how is she perfectly talking Japanese?"

Everyone blinked at the question, all eyes zeroing over the blinking captain, who blushed and looked down with a confused face before looking up and speaking again.

"…drayam urukam raum?" questioned her, to the girls' total confusion…

…except the blinking Kazuto, who perfectly understood _'Do you understand this?'_

"Eherem dru." answered the gamer to his Anchors' shock, realizing that earlier he had only probably been able to communicate with her after he broke her helmet thanks to his powers…but now he could perfectly talk Yurandian without using them, if the fact that no one else had seemingly understood his _'Yes, I do'_ was anything to go by.

"…I see. Some of the most important things must have remained from the memory bleeding." deduced Elysium, once again talking in Japanese as easily someone who had been raised in that country…because, in a way, she had been, just like Kazuto could kind of say to have grown up in Yurandi's castle. "It doesn't really matter at this moment, but it's one problem less to worry about until I can…help you solve this situation without recurring to more bloodshed."

"And we will keep an eye on you to make sure that goes exactly that way." coldly told her Asuna with a sharp glare, Suguha's look telling that she totally agreed with the chestnut-haired girl as they tightened their grip on the black-haired boy's arms, making him sigh as the group kept moving, Keiko and Rika staying closer to them while Aiko and Yuuki started to whisper something between themselves while looking from him to the once again silent captain.

Without a doubt, this had been the longest night in his life, and he only wanted to get home and collapse in his bed, perhaps with Sugu embracing him just to make it more comfortable, but he knew that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Aside from all the problems they had to deal with to get his fellow SAO Survivors home without their families suspecting they had been fighting aliens because of him, there was Elysium's situation to deal with. While he couldn't exactly say he liked the girl, he most certainly understood her (Probably better than anyone did…and, in a way, she could say the same about him, which was a little creepy now that he thought about it), and no longer bore any animosity against her, so he wanted to at least make sure none of his…'friends' (If such a word could still be used to call the several girls he was cosmically bonded with, 3 of which had accepted to have romantic feelings towards him not long ago, one that had kissed him less than half an hour ago, and one that he had accidentally fused with some super-assassin-alien-suit, not to mention his cousin/girlfriend) didn't try to kill her the moment he took his eyes off her, reason why he was taking their overprotectiveness in stride: It have him a good excuse to make sure they stayed close to him, and as such away from the alien captain.

Still, even as he finally saw his house coming into view and they all turned the corner that led towards the front door, he couldn't help but think that things would only get better from there onwa…

The Kirigaya Household's front door swung open, revealing two figures standing there. The tired group froze, the minds of the siblings that lived there kicking into overdrive at seeing who they were.

Kirigaya Midori and Kirigaya Minetaka stood there, staring blankly at the assembled bunch near their front door. Kazuto gulped hard, just idly thinking that the Time-Warping Mystery he had used on them must have vanished when his old body was destroyed, before realizing how the scene probably looked like: He, wearing nothing more than a cloak (As it was quite obvious he was barefoot), with Sugu and Asuna holding his arms way too close and a bunch of other girls that neither of them knew also standing very close to him.

And that was without mentioning the one in the back with the pink-hair, star-shaped pupils, wicked bone-claws and scorpion-tail, accompanied with a paralyzed bespectacled one wearing a black alien-suit without the helmet, or the phone-bot sitting on his sister's shoulder, who was also frozen in place (And apparently had been recording for a while, if the red light on his camera-face's side was any indication). At 5 in the morning.

"Hi…mom, dad…" muttered the black-haired boy, honestly wondering if he was more worried that they thought he was some sort of pervert or that they realized something clearly unnatural was going on. "…believe it or not, there is a good explanation for all of this…"

"Yeah, about that…" spoke the gamer's adoptive father before, without a word, his wife pulled something from the side, making Sugu squeak and let go of him as she covered her mouth.

Teary-eyed (Somehow, despite not having a biological way of actually crying), the plushy form of Fuu hung from her mother's hand, the cat-dog-thing staring at them with embarrassed sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Sugu-chan, Kazu-kun, they found me when I screamed in pain earlier and forced me to spill the beans…bu-but don' worry, I didn't tell them anything about your relationship!"

"What?" questioned Midori with wide eyes, letting go of the living plushie from the shock.

"What." said Minetaka with a flat tone, turning to look at his 'children'.

And then a wave of Cosmic Power surrounded both adults, making their images lose color and seem as if they were out of place with the world.

Ignoring the many gaping looks everyone was giving him, even as a crying Fuu rushed towards an hyperventilating Sugu saying _'Sorry!'_ endless times, the quickly paling Kazuto turned to look at his animated phone, apparently not thinking in how he hadn't even needed to move his hands to cast such a powerful and more refined version of the Time-Warping Mystery.

"Elucidator, call Yhmos, right now. I need to learn how to erase memories…without blowing someone's brain. And fast. Life-or-death fast."

"On it, boss!"

"…Ki-Kirito, you shouldn't do things like thi-this to your parents!"

"Yuu is right, you know? It's not proper at all!"

"…would any of you think it's easier to explain all of this to them?"

"Ehm…"

"Liz has a point there, girls. Sorry, but maybe this is for the best…say, Kirito-kun?"

"Yes, Asuna?"

"…how long can you keep them like that before anyone notices something is wrong?"

"I…don't know? Long enough…hopefully?"

"Onii-chan…dad's flight is scheduled in a bit over 30 hours. And mom has to go back to work in just a bit over that time…"

"…I'm SO screwed…"

"…bwaaah, so-sorry, Sugu-chan, Kazu-kun, bwaaah…!"

"Do-don't give up hope so fast, Kirito-san! Ma-maybe Yhmos-san will tell you this is actually fast and easy!"

"Boss! Yhmos just answered, told me that you could go see him in RUO at midday and then hung up despite his daughters' protests! Sorry!"

"…thanks for trying, Silica, but we should have known that jerk wasn't going to be a source of hope…"

"Say…shouldn't we, at least, get them, and ourselves, inside? At this rate, someone is going to notice the group of teens and the two statue-like adults before a house at 5 in the morning…"

 **'As my partner says, hurry up! Also, we're hungry, which is a feeling I got to say I truly find fascinating since we share the same bo…'**

"He-Hecate, shut up!"

As she watched the panicking and almost carefree interactions between the Earthlings before her, Elysium wasn't sure if she should sigh in exasperations or smile faintly. At the very least, though, and once she managed to make contact with her men once again, it seemed that things would only get better from then on…

In that moment, back in Tokyo Tower, the base of one of the capital's most popular spots was still surrounded by police and government vehicles, a closed area having been established for almost 300 meters around it. Specifically, many of the agents that were still in the area were centered keeping watch over a certain specific point, where something seemingly had fallen off the tower's top all the way there.

Watching as they finished cleaned the brutalized corpse, a bespectacled man in a suit let his gaze wander to the other thing they have been much more interesting on retrieving, each one of its 4 parts (One found atop the tower and having needed a bit more of time to get) being put away in separate cases.

"…now then…" muttered Seijirou Kikuoka as his gaze moved over the tip of the diamond-shining sword, even as several agents with special suits put it away inside its own container. "…this is certainly an interesting thing…"

And as the pieces of Azure Vanquisher were secured away, somewhere within the Omniverse, [DESTINY] 'sighed'.

The 'sound' impossibly echoed through the endless void like a thousand cries, a million laughs and a billion curses, all at the same time.

For the time of Truth was coming soon…

* * *

 **Lesson 12** **:** _Divinity can corrupt your Humanity…but, who says the inverse can't happen too?_

* * *

 **Next** **:** _Traitors and Liars_

* * *

 **Omake: The Holy Book of the Black Blades 1**

Classified Report 459Y-Epsilon. Security Level Omega.

I'm [-] from the Universal Alliance, on the 65th Mega-Cycle of the PTF (Post-Tyrant's Fall) Era, informing about the unknown phenomenon and discovery found near the Yurandi Star System. The powerful Space-Time warping that was detected in the sector was quickly investigated by the units stationed in the sector, who were quickly aided by the local forces from Queen Iridium Paylin from the system's main planet, and de facto leader of the Star System.

The findings were both perplexing and worrying: A non-manned vessel of unknown origin, damaged to the point of worthlessness, was found floating in pieces in the area. The contents of the vessel, though, were intact, what appeared to be an especially-sealed container from clearly cosmic forging. Inside, there was found…a book.

The book was written in a language not found in any of the Alliance's databases, which was more than sinisterly surprising, but, perhaps even more, was finding besides the book a very detailed 'Code' to help translate the unknown language to basic Yurandian.

Those in charge of the object's retrieval were quick to turn towards Queen Iridium for help, and so the book was transported to Yurandi, where is currently being examined and translated by a group of Alliance scientists and the queen herself.

What the translations reveal is…frankly, confusing and foreboding. Here I will transcript some of the (With unknown accuracy) translations. Once the full translation is done, though, I will personally carry them, together with the original book, to the Alliance's HQ, for security matters. Here are the first pages that have been translated:

 _From the Holy Book of the Black Blades_ (Written by the Rat Sage, edited by the Red Sword).

 _Chapter 1: New Dawn. First Recollection_

 _And so, it was the night when the New Year arrived at the world, in the Land of the Rising Sun, where our Lord and Savior was born, that it happened. The beginning of a new age for all of mankind, even if we didn't know it yet._

 _The foolish Invaders from Beyond the Stars had come, and, in their foolishness, to slay the future Savior. Sending forth the Reaper of Crimson Claws, they fought against Him and His beloved Stars. And while they could not best their holy might, in a last act of desperation, the Reaper called forth the [Determination] of Reality, which she used to destroy our Lord's mortal vessel._

 _This proved to be a mistake, as His power is beyond even such efforts. The mortal fell, taking the Reaper with him, and our Savior was reborn, as the One who would guide us into the future. But, as His goodwill and mercy no bounds, he also brought the Reaper back, having shown her the foolishness of her actions and, despite the hate and mistrust His Stars would have against her for her Sin of raising her claws against him, He forgave her, giving her life a new purpose, turning her into His first Prophet._

 _And so, it was how the Age of Glory started. With a new light being born in the Land of the Rising Sun, with schemes, unexpected allies, unknown enemies and a foolish world that did not know yet of the glory that awaited it._

 _For despite the great trials ahead, our Lord of the Black Blades would rise, His Red Blade would bring Justice, His Sacred Stars would bring Love, His Silent Shadow would bring Mercy, and His Noble Prophet would bring Understanding._

 _And He? As we all know, He would bring us [Life]…_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And with that, we're done for now! The last arc starts now!

Well, things have certainly happened around, eh? Kirito found an understanding with his 'Black Swordsman'-self and has 'evolved' into something else, Asuna's shaky grip on her feelings has slipped up beyond the point of no return, Elysium screwed up when restoring her body (Not to mention almost everyone hates her), Yhmos is apparently hiding his deeper thoughts, and Kayaba has been possessed by whatever unholy remains of Admiral Revenant Unreality spat out (Karma just can't stop being a bitch to him, can she XP?)

Also! Hope you enjoyed that 'Multiversal Viewing' part :D If you noticed something familiar with it, that's because the two first 'scenes' they saw are actually from the official SAO Multiverse, the first one being one of Canon SAO vol14 and the second one from Hollow Realization in the SAO Gameverse (I made sure to not be that specific with them so as to not make them actual Spoilers, though, but if you have actually read the novels/played the games you will most certainly recognize them). The rest were all original ideas of mine, several of which are discarded or random thoughts I had at some point for different 'Kiritos' and SAO stories (The Mechas one was actually one I was strongly considering before writing OPG, but with OPM's anime coming out it was that idea what won out), while others I would still like to actually write in the distant future :P BTW, to you all that have been following my crazy stories from OPG, did you enjoy the preview of the sequel that I totally didn't hide in there OwO?

And finally, we have gotten a new Omake section for this last arc, like with the previous two! Totally not foreshadowing at all, so don't try to dwell deeply on its meaning, nor who the one who wrote that 'book' actually is, or in who those names are referring to! Really :3

Okay then, that's all I have for now. I hope you're having a good time, and I will see you again next chapter!

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	16. Chapter 13: Traitors and Liars

Okay, first of all, I would like to seriously apologize with all of you, this chapter SHOULDN'T have taken this much to come out, especially given it's slightly shorter than the most recent ones, but a log of things happened that made it being delayed this much (A nasty cold catching me just as I had uploaded the latest one, a small bout of Writer Block because of it, accidentally getting addicted again to a certain children's card game, etc), so I hope you can forgive me for that D: (Guess this really was the 'unlucky chapter', being the 13th one and all…)

Second, man! This is truly being the year for us SAO fans! Besides the movie Ordinal Scale that's coming out worldwide these days (Those of you who have the luck of having watched it already, please don't post Spoilers on your reviews, I'm of the unlucky group that's going to have to wait till it's online to watch it XP), we're about to get the epic crossover game "AW vs. SAO: Millennium Twilight", 4th 'arc' of the SAO Gameverse, and even more, earlier today DLC Episodes for both it and Hollow Realization have been confirmed, containing none other than _Eugeo and Alice from the SAO Alicization Arc_ too appear on them (We finally know their voice actors, everyone :D! Hopefully this means that Season 3 is not too far away!)! Also, a hilarious as hell spin-off manga based in the SAO Gameverse (Taking place apparently during Hollow Fragment) has been also coming out lately, called 'Aincrad Night of Kirito', which is basically an fanservice-filled bunch of silliness loosely based around the famous 'One Thousand and One Nights' being turned into a Quest of dubious intent :P I recommend any fan of the SAO Gameverse to check it out, it's the best XD

And well, with all of that said, I leave you all with the chapter. Sorry if it contains a bit more errors than usual, I'm not sure, but it has been a long month and I don't want to keep you all waiting any longer.

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Traitors and Liars**

 **January 1st, 2025. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household. 10:00…**

Groaning, Kirigaya Midori slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion when the ceiling of her room greeted her. Sitting up, she realized she was on her bed; her husband's sleeping form beside her.

"How…how did I…we…?"

Groaning, the woman massaged her head in confusion, but she was still unable to properly recall how she and Minetaka had arrived there, no matter how hard she tried.

Last thing she could remember was finishing dinner, Kazuto and Suguha washing the dishes, then the sudden power outage…and then nothing, as if her thought became a muddled pool of white water. She even got a small headache when she tried recalling anything else.

Midori was unable to even recall when they put their sleepwear on.

The sound of someone knocking on her door, however, interrupted any further thoughts about her strange confusion.

"Mom? Dad? Are you awake?" came Suguha's voice from beyond the door, just a hint of nervousness in her tone. "Me and Onii-chan already had breakfast, but we prepared some for you too, so we wanted to know if you were going to eat now or not…"

Blinking several times in surprise, then quickly grabbing her phone, the woman gasped in shock before rousing her husband out of his sleep, unable to believe they slept for so long…

Almost 20 minutes later, having almost finished their breakfasts before the awkwardly smiling forms of their children, both adults of the Kirigaya household seemed to have a slightly ashamed look on their faces.

"Honestly…I can't believe we started drinking before going to bed." lamented Minetaka while shaking his head. "What kind of example are we setting for you two…?"

"N-now, dad, you're exaggerating. I mean, it has been forever since you were home, and it was New Year's Eve!" waved it off Kazuto with a strangely nervous voice. "Be-besides, me and Sugu went to sleep almost right away, and it's not like we're going to judge you for spending some time relaxing or anything…"

"Still, that's no excuse for us getting carried away, Kazuto. Our alcohol tolerance isn't exactly the best, and given what happened yesterday…" trailing off as she gave another sip to her coffee, Midori looked with a worried gaze towards the information displayed in the terminal she was holding on her free hand, which showed images of Yokohama's damaged streets. "To think that the power failure would be related to a terrorist attack…"

"Yeah, tha-that was crazy, can't believe it happened while we were all sleeping." muttered Suguha while paying quite the amount of attention to how pretty their table was. "Lu-luckily none of our friends lived near there…"

"Quite a number of people seem to have been hurt during the incident, though, so it's not really anything to celebrate about." commented the patriarch of the family while frowning slightly, missing how his daughter squeezed the hand of his suddenly guilty-looking son under the table. "But I get what you mean, one can't help but feel better knowing no one close to us got involved with that…"

"Yes…that's right, no one got involved…" whispered Kazuto while clenching his free hand, trying to concentrate in the warm feeling of Suguha's hand over his other one as he once again looked towards his adoptive parents. "B-by the way, mom, dad, do you have anything special planned for today?"

The sudden question seemed to honestly surprise both adults, who suddenly exchanged confused stares before looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"Uhm, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean, well, you know…it's the last day dad will be here until who knows when, so it wouldn't be strange if you wanted to spend it together…right?" continued the black-haired boy with an almost hesitant tone.

Both adults blinked again, for a moment almost thinking they saw his eyes changing shape before dismissing it as part of their imagination, musing over the teen's words.

"Onii-chan is right, mom, dad! It would be a waste if you didn't try to spend some time together today!" agreed Sugu with a vibrant smile, tightening her hold on her adopted brother's hand instinctively. "If you're worried about us, don't be, we aren't planning on going out today, right?"

"O-of course, it would be foolish after what happened yesterday." continued Kazuto while looking away and scratching one of his cheeks. "Ma-maybe I will be playing in my room or something…"

"Hmm…well, now that you say it, it HAS been quite some time since we did spend some time just for the two of us…" mused Minetaka while turning to look at his wife, offering the surprised woman a smile. "What kind of husband would I be if I didn't try and make my wife feel special before having to get back to work?"

"Wha-what kind of things are you saying now?" replied Midori with a small hint of red on her cheeks, her tone betraying her pleasure at the words. "You're going to make Kazuto and Suguha get all snarky with us, you know?"

"Please mom, we aren't children anymore." contradicted the young kendoka with a soft smile, looking at her parents with happiness. "We're mature enough to not laugh at you two being romantic."

There was a clear look in surprise in the two adults' faces upon hearing those words, through it quickly melted into a warm and proud smile towards their daughter.

And so, when they exited the house a bit over 10 minutes later, they were still thinking of that, and that's why they didn't notice how their 'son' didn't quite meet their eyes until the moment they were out of sight, before quickly turning around and entering the house in silence.

He hadn't even taken two steps before Suguha's hands fiercely held his, forcing him to turn and look at her serious look.

"Sugu…"

"No, Onii-chan. Just no." cut him off the young kendoka without mercy. "We ALL spend a lot of time discussing it before accepting it was the best, _so don't you dare_ now to start feeling guilty for this!"

"Sugu, I just basically brainwashed my parents!" shouted the gamer with a furious look. "How do you want me to not feel horrible about that?!"

"Because you didn't. You just erased their memory of something that it's way too dangerous for them to know. Remember?!"

Looking down, Kazuto bit his lips harshly as he remembered the events of hours ago.

After getting their time-messed parents inside the house and realizing he couldn't count on the bastard of Yhmos to help him until it was too late, the boy had dived into his 'Manual' like never before, more than one of the girls actually looking at him wide-eyed as he looked through the projected pages like a possessed, searching for anything that could help him.

After 2 hours of searching, he had managed to find how to specifically and carefully do two things that, if not a proper solution, would certainly help their current situation: One was the base of a Mystery to manipulate the mind, a 'High-Level' version of the 'confusion' one he had put on Agil's mind the other day at the café. All he could do with literally minutes of training was erase a somewhat unspecific part of 'recollections', and he had to do so one person and a time through direct contact, not modify or change actually existent one, but it was better than anything. The other was one that allowed him to subtly impose his Will upon that of another living being to create 'compulsions'. Not really brainwashing, per se, but, depending on how much pressure he exerted with his powers, it would allow him to make others agree with things he said as if they were their own ideas.

Like he had just subtly done to have their parents enjoy their last day together for who knew how long away from home, where things could become dangerous if another unexpected thing happened. Or like he had done with the families of Rika, Keiko and Asuna when he had teleported with to each girl's front door with them, before 'explaining' they had just been worried about their friends and rushed out to see if they were okay, and that they shouldn't be angry at them for being out for hours without even saying a word.

It had been moderately successful, all things considered, probably because a part of him had been actively trying to use as little power as possible to not risk actually corrupting the minds of his friends' families and…

He was quickly brought out of his spiraling thoughts by Suguha wrapping her arms around him, the warmth of her body seeping into him in an almost unnatural way as it made him gasp.

"Onii-chan…this is for the best. Maybe…no, after we're done with this problem with the aliens, we WILL tell mom and dad about this if you still want. And we will help Asuna and the others to tell their families too if they want to…but, right now, knowing would just put them in danger." staring right into Kazuto's eyes as she whispered that, the young kendoka's gaze seemed to shine with a soft hum of cosmic power as he closed their distance. "You only did what you had to do to protect them, okay? Don't ever think otherwise."

The gamer didn't even have the strength to protest as she kissed him, nor really many reasons for either. Sugu was right, after all. The main reason he was scared of his actions was because he feared Kirito's words, that if he started doing such things no matter for what reason he would soon cross a line he didn't want to.

But, as long as he had her…no, all of them, at his side, reminding him of who he was and why he was 'human', he would make sure to not lost his way. Because…!

"Su…Sugu…!" gasped the boy in shock as they suddenly separated, gasping for air and both their faces flushed as his adoptive sister/girlfriend stared at him with half-lidded eyes. "N-not that I complain, bu-but you were a little too…eager, there…"

"Well…we're alone right now, and there is still over an hour before we have to meet with the others in RUO…" 'casually' commented the young kendoka while caressing his cheek, making him shiver in delight. "And we couldn't spend any time for ourselves in Christmas because of the aliens, so…"

"Sugu…" whispered Kazuto as he slowly closed the distance again, the girl's smile widening as their lips once again joined and their tongues moved to…

"AH!" the sudden squeak make both siblings freeze and separate like lighting, eyes wide and panic coursing through them as they thought their parents had returned…only to meet a flushing face of wide green and star-shaped eyes looking at them, clawed hands raised as if in surrender. "Fo-forgive me, I-I just wanted some water and, uhm…I didn't know you were…!"

"You…" angrily growled Suguha with a twitching eye, having half the mind to jump and strangle the pink-haired alien wearing her clothes (Which were kind of small for her everywhere except in the chest, where they were loose) and the black robe her adopted brother/boyfriend. "Didn't I tell you to NOT enter the house?!"

"Ye-yes, but, as I said, I was very thirsty, ma-maybe it's something related to my new body, a-and I couldn't just drink the pond's water without…"

Sighing as he pushed down his embarrassment in favor of resignation, Kazuto watched how Elysium tried to apologize and excuse herself before his little sister, wondering if trying to step in would do more harm than good.

Despite how she had been nothing but submissive and polite since they exited the warehouse, it had been a very tense moment when they had to decide 'what to do' with the reborn alien captain. Given that she had stated her wish of giving them her full support to stop the conflict between her and her men, it was more than obvious that they couldn't just let her wander around aimlessly (Not that the gamer would have otherwise, but at least this was an argument he could give that didn't incite the girls with murderous intent). After that, and Suguha reluctantly accepting to give her something to wear (Only after he had suggested giving her some of his clothes when the kendoka had first refused, though), the black-haired girl had all but threatened the ex-princess to stay outside on the house's backyard. Given that she was used to go long without sleeping and that it wasn't particularly cold, Elysium had accepted with no problems and Kazuto had reluctantly agreed with her.

He felt bad for how the pink-haired alien was being treated by his friends, but he could understand their point of view. For them, she was nothing but someone who had tried and almost succeeded in killing him. They hadn't literally become one with her and understood her whole life from the inside out, and as such could only judge her from their own perspectives. And given that even the captain herself accepted their rancor and fury without complaint, as if he truly felt she deserved it, he would just make matters worse if he tried to intervene in her favor.

The black-haired boy just hoped that their attitude towards her would soften at least a bit in the future. Then again, if they actually managed to solve the current situation peacefully as they were thinking, there was also the possibility of none of them wanting to be even close to Elysium again once she was back with her people. And when one took into account that he still wanted to help convince her to not take the 'blow all of us to hell now that our mission is accomplished' route that could certainly be a problem…

"…so that's why you can't…hey, are you listening to me?!" continued Suguha with an angry tone, noticing that the alien girl seemed flushed and tried to evade her gaze. "…what's wrong?"

"So…sorry, it's just that…you're too close, a-and, as I just watched you two li-like that, the memories…"

Elysium Syrom Revenant wasn't a blushing schoolgirl in any way. She was a war veteran, and as such, she should be used to keep her cool in situations that most other would find uncomfortable.

Up until the previous night, that would have been 100% true. Now, however, having been inside the mind of a 17 years old Earth boy who had recently experienced…many things, that she had never actually even thought about during her time as a captain in the Universal Alliance, had made her mind to be a bit much more active than she wanted. Especially because she remembered said _things_ from HIS point of view.

Kirigaya Suguha also seemed to realize just WHAT it was that the other girl was thinking about, finally noticing that, in her anger, she had all but cornered the (Currently) meek pink-haired against the wall.

Squeaking and bouncing back all the way to Kazuto's side so fast that she almost seemed to teleport, the young kendoka all but hid her face on her brother's back, quickly mumbling something unintelligible to him before rushing up to her room as fast as her inhumanly enhanced physique allowed her.

A new awkward silence reigned on the room, Kazuto trying to do his best to not think about how the girl in front of him knew detail-by-detail the most intimate moment of his life so far (Even more than his 'friends', that had kind of watched-felt it through the Anchor Link) and was quick to sever some water in a glass that he then passed to the still unmoving Elysium.

"He-here, your water."

"…thanks." curtly muttered the pink-haired alien while grabbing it, not meeting his gaze. "…sorry for making Sugu…uhm, your sister, feel awkward. It wasn't my intention."

"I…know, don't worry." sighed the boy while looking upstairs. "…I will be up talking with Sugu until the time for our 'meeting' with Space Jerk comes, okay? Feel free to stay here and even rest a bit on the couch if you need it."

Just as he was about to head upstairs, though, the gamer felt something pointy touching the back of his forearm, only to be quickly retracted as he turned around, the captain looking at the claw with which she had almost pierced him with a grimace, only to change it into a steel-like expression the moment she noticed his gaze.

Her next words stopped him from commenting on that, though.

"I wish to speak with Yhmos too."

* * *

Ayano Keiko was feeling very conflicted when she woke up from her 'nap', barely having 30 minutes to get ready if she wanted to go to the 'meeting' with Yhmos everyone was planning to attend. Honestly, though, a part of her felt just so tired (More emotionally than physically) that she just wanted to fall back on her bed and apologize to the rest later.

The reason was, somehow both painfully simple and extremely complex: She was in love.

As strange as it sounded, this was actually a shaking 'revelation' for the young girl. As in, she had _known_ that she felt something for Kirigaya Kazuto…Kirito, as she first knew him. Since the time they met and he helped her getting her best friend back, plus realizing how selfish she had been acting, a part of her heart had belonged to him. But, in the innermost part of herself, she had thought it was just…that. A crush. A first love with no hope to become real, no matter how much she wished for it. Something that she would one day get over, as sad as it was, and grown up while always remembering with a bright smile.

Those notions were brutally killed last night, as she waited inside that warehouse together with everyone, feeling as if her heart was being clenched by something dark and horrible and tears threatening to spill from her eyes every second, her gaze never leaving the black sphere that contained the source of her grief.

She didn't just 'like' Kirigaya Kazuto, she absolutely loved the black-clad boy, her Hero and friend. And that realization hurt her and made her very happy at the same time.

Made her happy because she had been able to fully understand her feelings and realize how mature and pure they were. Hurt her because she knew and accepted that the boy loved someone else already, someone who was a great and beautiful person…and… _much more_ 'mature-looking' than her.

Groaning, Keiko got out of her bed and headed towards her house's bathroom, those last thoughts having finished killing any need for her to sleep. Sure, she knew it was childish and immature to be jealous of Suguha-san's, of all things, uhm, 'assets', but that was nothing but a reminder that, cosmic power or not, she WAS still trapped within the body of a girl that seemed barely older than 12 when she was 14 already. Stupid Kayaba Akihiko and his stupid death game.

Sighing with resignation once again and reminding herself she was supposed to try and act like someone truly in the middle of serious emotional conflicts and problems with aliens from another Universe, the young girl splashed some water on her face before rinsing herself and looking up at the mirror.

Keiko blinked, confused. Then, she blinked again and rubbed her eyes. Slowly, her mouth opened.

Rushing for the nearest towel and drying her face as if her life depended on it, the trembling Beast Tamer STARED once again into the mirror.

The one looking back was…herself, yet _not_.

While the figure being reflected could still be recognized as Ayano Keiko, it was undeniable that she seemed a bit…older. Nothing drastic or world-changing, though, but still more than enough for the girl herself to realize it.

She had grown several inches taller, and her hair, still loose since her twin tails had come undone last night, had become slightly longer. What truly made her eyes shake and her lips quiver, however, was something she feared was nothing but her overworked imagination.

Trembling with something akin to excite med, the Beast Tamer…reached towards her own chest.

Squeeze!

…so-something! There was SOMETHING there, she could feel it! Yeah, it was nothing to boast about, not even reaching Shino-san's size, but she had _something_ now! She was no longer a little girl!

By all aliens and Space Gods, she had actual breasts!

She was so euphoric that she didn't even bother to think of the reasons behind this phenomenon, like perhaps how she had 'channeled' her dragon friend's very own 'powers' the night before to save her friend from lieutenant Konik. Her euphoria was still consuming most of her cognitive ability.

It was in such euphoric state how Pina, just rematerializing after having gotten enough energy and feeling his master's 'strange' emotional state, found her, staring at the mirror with a giddy expression and still squeezing her small, if now actually existent, chest as if it was something therapeutic.

"Heh…heh…lo-look, Pina…I'm growing up…eheheh."

The feathered dragon deadpanned. Then, slowly, he flew out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him, heading back towards the young girl's room.

Eternal friendship and respect be dammed, he was NOT dealing with that. Let Kirito be the one doing it.

* * *

Both Ivy and Eve were still learning many things. About themselves, about humanity and about the world they lived in. as if that wasn't enough already, though, there was also the situation in which the nature of their 'Father' and Kirito, the boy named Kirigaya Kazuto, had put them in. When one took into account that, existentially, neither they nor any of their sisters were even 3 years old, and most only actually having been mentally aware for months, one could think it was actually a harsh way of experiencing life for the first time.

But the two inseparable sisters (Just slightly less close than Yin and Yan were) didn't really mind. They were happy (Even if the younger one rarely showed it as openly as the older), they loved their sisters and father, and had even made an actual human friend.

And as they watched with something akin to awe and captivation how she finished the virtual process meant to simulate welding, taking a deep breath as she closed the window she had been using and opened up another, more complex one, they couldn't help but think one thing.

They still had a lot to learn about how to be human.

"…it's done." finally whispered Lisbeth while staring upwards at the recently finished colossus. "Heh…I may be growing a bit complacent, but I think I can safely say that this is my second masterpiece in so few days. Maybe I'm actually becoming a greater crafter than I thought…?"

"You…you actually did it…" muttered Ivy with awe while Eve floated just behind her on her Magno-Sphere, both of them looking with wide eyes towards the metallic figure as Liz continued checking her latest screen. "You finished it flawlessly…"

"Hey, the doubt hurts, you know?" commented the blacksmith with a mock-hurt one as she continued calibrating options, checking systems and selecting paradigms. "I mean, yeah, it was way more difficult than what I was used to, and I had to stay a couple hours more than I should have for many nights, not to mention coming here one hour before the meeting, but…"

"Not what big sis means." curtly clarified the silver-haired young girl while raising a hand from her vehicle's controls just to point at the blinking pink-haired girl. "You did it _flawlessly_. Every piece and connection, every montage-sequence and welding-process (Minigame) was finished with a 95%+ of accuracy. This Exangel's specs are high enough to rival those of a high-level one despite the frame being mean to be a mid-level."

"…re-really?" asked the dumbfounded Lisbeth while looking back at the machine. "I-I didn't know that, every time a new process and system popped out for me to assemble I would just sink into the same mindset I used to forge weapons back in SAO and…well, do it…"

"So…you didn't even _realize_ you were doing it at such at abnormally great level?" questioned Eve with disbelief, the tomboyish girl looking once again towards the blacksmith before turning her eyes towards the machine yet again.

Tall, just a meter less than her own Metatron was, but noticeably bulkier. This was an Exangel meant for resistance instead of the attack-speed combination that her own was.

Of course, that didn't mean it was 'slow' by human senses, not at all. The powerful-looking booster-jet engine on its back made sure of that.

Heavy hydraulic systems dotted the joints on its arms and legs, speaking of just how hard the heavy machine could swing its limbs, and how much power it could put behind each hit. The hands were bulky, not really fit for delicate or complex operations, but still functional enough to grab a weapon with an iron grip that even enemy Exangels would find hard to break. Finally, the head. It wasn't anything impressive, the design favoring functionality over the 'fancier' designs that Japanese loved on their fictional mechas, and that Ivy's own Metatron could boast o have both of in spades. Still, the robotic form with a slightly square shape, a reinforced 'helmet' welded straight into the shoulder-pauldrons and a line-shaped visor of a deep black color had something that inspired both respect and a sense of power, a humbleness from the squishy fragility of man before the solid frame of the machine.

Finally, Lisbeth finished with the screen she had been absentmindedly working on. Color spread through the robot's main armor, and the machine almost seemed to stand straighter upon the change, as if filled with life. Its new dark magenta paint almost seemed to reflect the strong will and dedication its creator had put on it.

"…huh, funny. I started it for my own interest, then started working seriously on it to take my head off the situation we're in, and I just finished it to try and not think in all the shit that went done last night…but, now that I'm looking at it, finished and done, I feel strangely…proud." commented the blacksmith while staring at her greatest creation in virtual reality with soft eyes, putting a hand over her heart as she did so. "It…doesn't feel impersonal at all, like a part of me feared. It feels exactly like when I forged weapons back in SAO, after I…met him, and more. Like a part of me and my feelings were truly put into this…him."

"Him. So, I guess you have decided what to call it, then?" muttered the red-haired AI with curiosity, even as her silver-haired little sister also turned towards the silent human girl.

It was a valid question, after all. The 'advantage' of constructing your very own weapon or vehicle within Requiem Universus Online instead of buying an already functional model was the heavy internal customization you could give to the systems…and that you could name them, unlike the ones bought in a specialized shop.

For a moment, Lisbeth just smiled.

Then, with extreme calmness, she brought the final screen before her and, almost humming, she erased the words 'MPK-565: Exangel Virgil', only to replace them with two simple ones.

'Star Maker'.

"Done." grinned the pink-haired girl while both MHCPs behind her stared once again to her new robot. "Well, kind of. I still need to get it an actual Exangel Weapon, but that can wait until after the meeting. It should be beginning very soon and…"

"Fuck it." the sudden words of the 'Ancient Princess of Machines' made the blacksmith blink in confusion, turning to see her operating a window that made something rumble deep within the hangar. "Take this one."

Then, a floating mechanic box descended from somewhere among the upper levels, easily the size of a small car. It opened and, almost automatically, the newly baptized 'Star Maker reached out with both hands to grip the long handle of the weapon emerging from it.

Shocked, Lisbeth **stared** at the heavy-looking Warhammer, the head seemingly having 'holes' that looked suspiciously like those of engines in each of its 4 sides, made of some red and black metal that was continuously shining under the humming energy that it contained within, which shone in an ethereal purple.

"Legend-Breaker Andromeda. The strongest blunt-type Exangel Weapon in the game." explained Eve while looking at her older sister with an undecipherable expression, the 'Ancient Princess of Dreams' seeming strangely serious. "It's not even possible to get it yet, there are not enough strong players to clear the Dungeons and Challenges needed."

"Wha-what?! Wa-wait, I can't accept that! I-I mean, that's practically a cheat item, and I haven't done anything to deserve it!" quickly refused Lisbeth while shaking her head, though she would be lying if she said she hadn't been eyeing the 'Andromeda' with more than awe. "I'm not…!"

"You are among the players with the lowest Playtime-rate in the whole server, which has not been active for even a month. And yet you somehow made one of the arguably most difficult types of vehicle available in the System with nigh-perfect ability. I should know it, I designed those." calmly informed her Ivy while putting a hand on the shocked blacksmith's shoulder, the tomboyish AI grinning her way. "That, for me, it's an amazing enough feat. I could learn a lot from humans like you…Liz-san. Please, take it. Considering a gift for a new friend, okay?"

"…Liz…would become friend?" asked Eve with almost shyness, making the pink-haired girl look at her and then back to the smiling Ivy.

Another smile appeared on her face, even as she nodded fiercely.

"Heh, you bet! Be grateful, you two, as from now on you can boast of being friends with Liz-sama, the greatest blacksmith, and mechanic in this galaxy!"

And as the 3 girls laughed happily (Even Eve softly joining in), Star Maker seemed to, somehow, smile.

Even in the most troubled times, there were always good and beautiful things that could blossom forth…

* * *

Within the Throne Room of Astemeri Palace, Yhmos, last of the Ancient Rulers, sat on his throne with an immutable expression, waiting for their 'meeting' to begin.

Most of those involved had already arrived, of course. The one named Lisbeth had been the first, coming in slightly earlier than the appointed time while chatting with Ivy and Eve, something that surprised him. Then it had been the Asuna girl, brought by a serious-looking Haru, muttering something or another about her mother with an annoyed expression before starting to talk with her pink-haired friend. Following them had been the one called Silica, who seemed…strangely bright, pure smiles and cheerfulness, much to the confusion of her 2 friends, who were unable to extract more than happy giggles as explanations, even Tomoe (Who had brought her to the palace) having no clue about what was going on with her. After that, the trio of Yuuki, Ran and Sinon had graced them with their presence, the twins talking excitedly/calmly (Guess who each) with the smiling sniper, apparently enjoying a conversation about something they had done to their apartment, even as Strea happily followed behind them.

Now, though, it was about to be 5 minutes past the accorded hour, and the two last people that should be there, one of them the most important one, _still_ hadn't arrived. Feeling his patience grow thin, the fallen cosmic entity was about to send a message for Yui to call the two Kirigaya…when the door opened once again, letting not three, but FOUR people enter the room, a dubious-looking Yui and a slightly angry Leafa leading the charge.

Just behind them, a resigned-looking Kirito raised a hand to greet them all. And behind him…

There was nothing special about the female avatar. It was Level 1, and besides having long pink hair, it was clear that not much effort had been given into personalizing it. Yet, she was staring at her hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the universe.

The name floating above her head gave her away even before she spoke, staring right at Yhmos surprised form as she did so.

"Good afternoon, Tyrant."

"Elysium Syrom Revenant." coldly answered the old man before looking at the gamer with narrowed eyes. "What is she doing here?"

The fact that the same question seemed to be clearly visible on most of the girls' faces made the black-haired boy realize how truly angry they were once again. They were _agreeing with Yhmos_ , after all.

"She said she wanted to be part of this conversation too, and as she IS going to help us stop her people from launching more attacks that may put everyone on the planet in danger, I saw no reason to refuse." neutrally answered Kirito with a serious look, everyone in the room being forced to (Reluctantly) agree with his words. "My old Nerve Gear can still work with this game, so I let her borrow it."

"I'm still uneasy about wearing something I know has the chance to kill me, by the way, but it's a risk I'm willing to take." firmly answered the alien captain to everyone's surprise, crossing her arms as she looked forward. "I'm ready to put my life on the line to stop this madness."

"Wo-woah, don't try and go full melodramatic, okay?!" half-shouted Asuna with narrowed eyes, though her anger was tinged by a noticeable dosage of panic. "This game is perfectly safe even with the Nerve Gear, we're not in Sword…!"

"Untrue, in this case. The Tyrant has become an entity with full control over this particular virtual world, yet the humans who run the physical servers don't know this, right? If so, it should be child's play for him to restore the same Code that sent the forbidden signals to the Nerve Gears back in SAO and kill anyone wearing one that is connected to this world." calmly explained Elysium as if it was no big deal, many eyes widening in utter shock, even the MHCPs gasping while Kirito's gaze shot towards the silent Ancient Ruler. "He probably would be able to do so and then remove it again before anyone from the real world realized, leaving no evidence he did, right?"

"…I see you weren't called a prodigy among the Alliance for nothing, Revenant." was all that the old man answered as he stared towards the pink-haired alien with emotionless eyes. "Still, I see you're enjoying something of 'my' world. Has a bunch of hours been more than enough to make you miss having actual hands so much?"

The captain said nothing at his taunt, though her arms stiffened and she stopped trying to shot glances at her avatar's hands.

"Elysium, Log Out, now." all but snarled Kirito just as everyone's mind finished registering that Yhmos had all but confessed the pink-haired girl was right. "You're not putting that thing on aga…"

"I refuse." interrupted Elysium with a steel-like voice, making many shocked eyes shoot towards her. "None of you have time to reschedule this meeting, and I'm not going to miss it no matter what. Plus, given that almost everyone in this room considers me a menace, from a tactical point of view this is an extremely favorable position, isn't it?"

"Extremely favo…? Are you even hearing yourself?!" shouted Lisbeth while all but manhandling the pink-haired alien. "Do you have any idea of the fear we went through in SAO?! Do you think that having that thing in your head knowing it could kill you if you aren't careful is a joke?!"

"…no, I know it's not. And because I know it very well is because I'm willing to do this." simply replied the captain with a soft tone, making the blacksmith release her as she was reminded that the other girl had experienced Kirito's memories of his time in Aincrad. "I told you all yesterday, I'm willing to become your prisoner if needed. I won't ask for your forgiveness, as I know I don't deserve it, but let me at least make you feel safer knowing I'm not a threat to him…or to any of you anymore."

"…you know, the first point of this meeting was actually going to be because I was worried having been in your head may have affected the idiotic human boy present here in a negative way, and Fate knows that with my powers that would have been a disaster." casually commented Yhmos, breaking the tense and shocked silence that had followed Elysium's words. "But now I'm starting to think that maybe you having been in HIS head was the most dangerous thing of all."

"A-also, yo-you have no reason to be worried, Kirito-san! Papa would never do something like that!" assured Yui while trying to bring a resemblance of order to the tense situation. "Ri-right?!"

"…hmm." was all that the fallen Cosmic Entity said, with just an imperceptible nod.

One could hardly blame every (Kinda) human in the room for not believing him.

"See? Well, now that daddy made that clear, what do you say we get this meeting over with?" cheerfully expressed Strea while raising a hand, though even Elysium could clearly see how she was just poorly trying to shift the mood.

"Okay then, I will keep it brief." spoke the Ancient Ruler before standing up and pointing his hand towards Kirito. "…I have no idea what you are."

"…what." was all that came from the gamer's mouth at the unexpected declaration.

Evidenced by the fact that even Elysium seemed dumbfounded, no one was quite expecting the old man to say something like that.

"I'm talking about all the madness of yesterday…earlier today or however you want to say it, boy. Your 'transformation'." clarified Yhmos while sitting again, barely suppressing a sigh of frustration. "It was like how an Aether Core forced one from my species to 'mature'…yet it wasn't. My Aether Core ALREADY did that with me, it's already fully matured and developed, it did not need to undergo said change anymore…and, despite that, it did. Not for itself, but for…you."

"Wait, does that mean…I'm like you right now?" asked the black-haired with an extremely small voice, as if fearing the answer. "An Ancient Ruler?"

"…that's what perplexes me. As far as I can perceive with the meager cosmic perception I have left, you are not…but you aren't human anymore either, and I'm not talking just of the physical level. Something deeper, in your Soul and Existence…" the Ancient Ruler STARED into Kirito's eyes, the boy suddenly shuddering as he felt as if someone was trying to look directly into his very essence, something he didn't like one bit, his hand unconsciously seeking Leafa's, being received without hesitation. "Something in between, not one thing but not the other either…"

"You mean…like some kind of hybrid?" commented Yui while tilting her head, a deep look in her gaze. "Half human and half Ruler, a new entity, like…a New Ruler?"

"…Yui-nee, that name is kind of…" trailed off Tomoe while looking away.

"Very lame." deadpanned Eve without missing a beat, gaining shocked/nervous looks from her sisters.

"Yeah…it kinda lacks inspiration." agreed Yuuki while, at her side, Ran shook her head.

"Yuu is right, if you're going to give it a name, it has to be something cool. Like 'Neo Ruler' or…"

"Instead of being worried about how to call him, can we focus on the fact that he has become something even our resident Space God can't explain?" pleaded Sinon with a small sigh, making the twins blink at her before exchanging worried looks.

"Thanks, Sinon-san, we really needed to get the conversation back on track." gratefully spoke Asuna before walking to stand at Kirito's other side, crossing her arms while looking towards Yhmos. "Please, say what we all want to hear, 'Yhmos-san'. What does that mean for Kirito-kun?"

"…to think the day were a kid like you could annoy me like that and live to tell the tale would arrive…how the mighty have fallen is indeed an appropriate phrase of your species for these situations, Yuuki Asuna." was the fallen cosmic entity's snarky answer to the mocking use of his name with the Japanese suffix, but his gaze softened slightly upon seeing the worried gazes of his 'daughters'. "But for the sake of this madness of a situation, I will tell you that, as far as I know, it means nothing negative for the boy. If what you reported earlier is to be believed, the change has even given him a better grasp on my powers, so if anything it would be positive…he may not have problems keeping up those human's looks he seems to fond of either."

"Wait, what?" there was a clear shock in the gamer's voice as he said those words, a tension no one had expected once again filling his being as his empty hand reached out for Asuna's, the chestnut-haired girl letting him do so without a second thought. "What…do you mean by that?"

"…Oh Fate, you REALLY don't know." whispered Yhmos with a disbelieving look, before shaking his head. "No, it doesn't matter, it will be better if you don't…"

"Don't come with that bullshit now!" shouted Lisbeth while taking a step forward, her grip on her weapon tight as she glared at the old man. "We may all be 'kids' in your eyes and some of us may very well be barely bloody teenagers, but we are already neck-deep into this! So, both for your sake and ours, stop being fucking cryptic and tell us all you know straight up!"

Silence filled the room as all the humans within it, and one alien, stared at the gasping blacksmith with wide eyes, as if unable to believe her sudden outburst.

"Woah…Liz-san, are you alright?" asked a wide-eyed Silica while putting a hand on her friend's shoulder, making her give a shaky smile.

"Yeah…sorry about that, I think that spending hours finishing a robot didn't totally calm my nerves after last night." apologized the girl while laughing nervously, Eve and Ivy exchanging a small smile at her words.

"…no one in here respects me at all, uh…? _Not counting you,_ girls." quickly added the old man when he saw all his present daughters about to speak up, before releasing an annoyed grunt and staring at Kirito. "Okay then, hear, as I'm not going to repeat it: Yesterday, you changed. Not totally like we Ancient Rulers do, but still more than enough to become something that's not human at all. Right now, your skin, blood, organs, bones and all that make you seen human…are more or less a 'mask'. One I'm pretty sure you could discard anytime. Your true self…well, everyone here got a slight glimpse of it yesterday, right?"

The mood in the room became heavy, tension moving through the girls' minds and slight fear in some of the AIs at remembering the vision they saw for an instant when the 'chrysalis' broke.

Something tall and just slightly humanoid, made of something akin to the Darkness of space, with eyes that reflected the endless void crowned by 12-pointed stars…

"…scary." muttered Tomoe almost involuntarily, only to cover her mouth when glares and shocked looks were sent her way. "I-I'm sorry, I…!"

"No…it's okay. Really." interrupted the gamer while putting a hand on the bespectacled MHCP's head, making her gasp in surprise. "I know how something unknown can be terrifying. And…I guess that whatever I am now must be that and more. But…I can promise you, and everyone here…that I would never harm them."

The eyes of all humans within the room warmed at that, giving sympathetic smiles towards the black-haired boy while Yui and Strea beamed gratefully at him. Meanwhile, Haru was sure to grab the meek-looking Tomoe and drag her away from him, not wanting the 'thief' to 'corrupt' yet another of her sisters.

 _"You know…it's both sad and scary that I sometimes think this damn boy could have pulled off conquering my Universe without causing a war if he had been in my place."_ mentally pondered Yhmos before shaking his head. "Ugh…okay then, is that all? If so, get out of my world, please. I'm stressed and I think you're more than capable enough to handle bringing Revenant back to her soldiers without screwing up."

"Really? That's it? You don't have anything else to say or ask?" deadpanned Leafa while looking at the unamused Ancient Ruler. "What was even the point of this meeting, then? You could have told Yui-san to inform us and that would have been way faster!"

"Oh…this had a reason, Kirigaya Suguha. It's just that your human brain is unable to understand it." clarified the fallen cosmic entity with a chiding tone, blatantly ignoring the death glares every human within the room sent his way at his words, Kirito's and Asuna's being the fiercest. "Now, really. Get out."

With that said, Yhmos snapped his fingers. The players didn't even have time to protest before their bodies broke into polygons as they were all informed that a GM had forcibly Logged them Out.

However, to the surprise of the old man's 'daughters'…Elysium's lonely avatar remained there, staring unblinkingly at their 'Father'.

"Papa, why is she still…?"

"Yui, everyone, please go down and see how Yin and Yan are doing. I don't trust them to keep an eye on the little ones for more than an hour after the catastrophe with the cakes." spoke Yhmos with a totally blank tone, making the oldest of the MHCPs shut up and give a serious look to her sisters, not even Strea protesting as they marched out of the room. "…now then, captain Revenant. Is there something you want to tell me before that boy gets worried and takes that Nerve Gear off your head?"

"Suguha…san will most likely keep him busy for several minutes. They're both Logging In from her room, as there was no way she would let me in there and Kazuto was kind enough to let me use his." replied the alien girl while closing her eyes, a thousand things going through her mind for a tumultuous second. "…as you must have guessed, I have something to ask you."

"Are you going to demand why I did it? Tell me I should feel sorry for the ones I killed or the planets I dominated? For the fallen soldiers or your father's death?" questioned the Ancient Ruler with an emotionless voice, his words making Elysium shake. "I hope you don't, because then being inside that boy's head has made you too naïve. I may accept that the path I chose has led to my doom, but you won't see me regretting anything I did. My beliefs will not change, Elysium Syrom Revenant. I still think I should have ruled our Universe…even if maybe I tried to do it the wrong way."

"…I don't need to hear any of that…because…this is already probably the fairest and most ironic justice I would have ever dreamed we could get from you, Yhmos." replied the captain while staring at him with a…smile.

Twisted and filled with animosity, but still a smile.

"What are you…?"

"Because you have started to CARE now. For your actions. For _them_ …those Artificial…no, those girls. Your 'daughters'. You truly care for them. Your powerlessness has turned you into something whose mere idea would have repulsed the old you…it has made you **human**. And now, that you're starting to think that maybe you can be satisfied with just this, with being with them and living peacefully…you're going to die." Yhmos didn't react at her words, his avatar's face never changing…but Elysium could still fill the mix of fury, despair, resignation and disgust coming from him. "And the only reason I'm not laughing happily about that fact is because I know how much it's going to hurt those poor girls."

"…you don't even know them." snarled the Ancient Ruler while standing up.

"I have been through Kazuto's memories. I know them enough to know that you don't deserve them…but also that they don't deserve the pain that losing you is going to cause them." calmly replied the pink-haired girl while looking at him with unflinching eyes. "Because I can say, without a doubt, that they're probably the only good thing that has come from you since you started invading my Universe."

 **"…have you forgotten I can still kill you with just a simple change of Code, child?"** growled the fallen Cosmic Entity while glaring at Elysium with glowing eyes.

In answer, she smiled again. This time, though, it was a sincere, peaceful one.

"You won't. You would never do that now…because of them. Because you know what they would think of you if you did…and the last thing you want is them to see you like I see you. The mere thought terrifies you like nothing else." tilting her head, the alien captain looked at the trembling Yhmos, as if wondering why she had ever feared him. "Besides, you're too late. Your prediction came true afte…"

Then, without even finishing her words, Elysium's avatar shattered into polygons, an incoming log telling the old man that she had been forcibly disconnected from the outside.

With a scream of rage, the last of the Ancient Rulers spread his hands, explosions of arcane power, twisting lighting, infernal fire, arctic cold and many more phenomena filled the throne room, blasting everything apart.

After several seconds, he let himself fall into his seat again, feeling immensely tired, the Throne Room obviously still intact as everything inside had been designated as an 'Immortal Object' by Yui herself during its construction.

For the first time since he could ever remember, a lone virtual tear slid down the Yhmos' shadowed face.

And on the real world, Elysium Syrom Revenant looked with a mix of amusement and resignation how Kazuto's worried face after taking off his Nerve Gear from her head became one of happy relief, then a troubled one as Suguha spoke to him from the doorway while glaring at her…though, unless she was imagining it, with just an insignificantly smaller amount of hate.

All in all, she could say that she was at peace. Now, the only thing left was to stop the upcoming madness.

Grimacing as she stared at her clawed hands, the ex-princess prepared herself to what certainly wasn't going to be an easy talk…

* * *

Koujiro Rinko knew she had done many stupid things during her life.

During Middle School, she had cheated once on a science test. Ironically, this ended up with her being recommended to take a career in that subject, so she was forced to study a lot to try and make up for the knowledge she didn't have.

In high school, she once spent several days without getting any sleep to try and finish an essay because of a dare with a friend. She got sick because of it, even if she won the bet…and also a brilliant recommendation to a certain university specialized in computer sciences.

On said University, she fell in love with Kayaba Akihiko. Nothing more needed to be said about that.

Yes, the woman knew she had done many stupid things in life, and, one way or another, all of those were what led her to her current situation.

Namely, being interrogated for hours through the glass-wall of her 'cell' by an annoyed snake-like alien general from another Universe.

"For the last time, general Moria, NO. I don't fucking know where Kayaba is, how he escaped or why the hell did he do it. He didn't come to talk to me at all last night." lied Rinko while gritting her teeth, internally wondering what the hell had happened.

Certainly, while she would be a fool to fully trust in anything Akihiko would tell her after everything that had happened with SAO, she was pretty sure that their current situation as prisoners of a bunch of Multiversal-aliens had truly and really made him want to stop them from destroying their world as result of whatever crazy crusade they had against their super-powerful enemy. In fact, last night he had even told her he was about to get her released from her 'cell', after a talk with the superior officers, so as to she could help her more actively.

Now, though, everything seemed to have gone to hell. Not only was that captain of theirs, Revenant, dead, the one called Konik was in some kinda coma and the clearly hostile Gahul Moria left in charge, but the father of virtual reality had apparently disappeared in the middle of the night through unknown means while causing a commotion.

And despite wearing that strange and very sci-fi helmet, Rinko could easily tell that the alien general wasn't pleased by her answer at all.

"Well, sssorry for annoying you, misss Koujiro, but I would really want to get sssome Fatedamn anssswersss. Like, how the hell a human, no matter how sssmart, managed to apparently hack into technology at leassst 20 Levelsss about that of hisss planet, when even WE would be unable to with our limited resssourcesss, and then ussse it to get away without any of our remaining sssystemsss being able to find him!" snarled the snake-like alien while reaming a fist of the reinforced crystal-like wall, cracking it, Rinko congratulating herself by not visibly reacting beyond a slight widening of her eyes. "That armor hasss no Ssstealth propertiesss! Even without the Aura Ssscoutsss, we ssshould be more than able to find it, yet your damn partner and it ssseem to have jussst vanissshed in thin air!"

"And I keep telling you, I have no idea how this happened. Kayaba was a genius, without a doubt, but an expert in alien tech, not even anything military-related." spoke the scientist with utmost sincerity, and for once this was a fact of the most wanted man in the world that she could utter with 100% surety.

After all, as atrocious as the Sword Art Online incident had been, Kayaba had been able to do so just by programming codes, manipulating systems and controlling virtual reality. The most dangerous 'weapon' he had ever worked with were the Nerve Gear and the Cardinal System, both of which weren't really supposed to be a weapon at all in the first place, even if they could be used as such.

To summary, Kayaba Akihiko was no weapons expert, even less any kind of specialist when it came to highly advanced alien armors from other Universes. Hell, he had needed to lose a lot of sleeping hours and an apparently massive effort to just be able to modify slightly that communicator he had stolen from them in secret, and only managed to make it do things it could already do but in other ways. There was simply no way he could have done what Moria was accused him to do, which means…

"…sssomeone kidnapped him? That'sss what you're thinking, isssn't it?" questioned the snake-like alien with an uncanny serious tone, making Rinko look at him in slight surprise. "Yeah, that'sss why I would have alssso thought normally, asss it makesss more sssense than the alternative…but our, even if admittedly damaged, sssyssstemsss didn't detect any living sssignal leaving the camp yesssterday except Kayaba'sss. Ssso, unlesss he sssomehow managed to make contact with a ghossst, then the only posssible explanation isss…"

"Ge-general Moria, sir!" shouted a clearly shaken and panicking soldier while entering the small cell-building, though the human woman also faintly detected a hint of happy hope in his tone.

"What?! I gave explicit ordersss of not being bothered while I interrogated the prisssoner for…!"

"It's Captain Revenant, sir!" interrupted the soldier with a clearly excited tone, making Gahul Moria freeze in place, as if someone had cast a spell on him. "She's alive, sir! Sh-she's just outside the Barrier Field, asking to come in and talk to you or lieutenant Konik!"

For a second, the snake-like alien fell strangely silent.

Then, with an eerie calmness that sent shivers down Rinko's back, he spoke again.

"…get everyone on high alert. This may be a trap."

Ignoring the shock and confusion that filled the lone soldier at his words, the general slithered away.

Once again, silence reigned.

The imprisoned scientist couldn't help but cringe, even if not truly surprised, when the sound energy shots pierced the air.

* * *

Everything seemed peaceful on the area surrounded by vast forests and small mountains from time to time.

At least until a flash of Cosmic Energy filled the air and 3 figures appeared out of nowhere, dropping down to the ground like rocks.

Without any apparent worry, one of them stopped falling, as if gravity had stopped having any power over him. Other quickly deployed ethereal wings from her back and, after what seemed like a couple seconds of hesitation, caught the last falling person.

"…thanks for that, Sugu…ha-san." quickly thanked Elysium, finishing the last part a bit too late and just making the discomfort between her and the girl grow.

The human's feelings towards her because of what she did to her brother aside, it was VERY awkward to be reminded that the alien captain had literally experienced everything Kazuto had…including his feelings for her and _everything_ they had done together. And even if most of it was already gone from her mind, small things, like calling her 'Sugu', seemed almost automatic to the pink-haired girl now, something that she was trying and failing to change, but hopefully it wouldn't be a problem for much longer…

"N-not a problem, I couldn't exactly let you fall to your death before you got your men to stop trying to hunt Onii-chan, right?" huffed Suguha while looking away, though there was the slightest bit of actual concern in her voice, which actually made the captain alien smile softly.

As much as she may hate her for what she did, the young human still cared about life more than enough to not wish her actual death. That may have seemed little for many, but for her, it was more than enough. After all, they wouldn't be seeing each other much, if at all, after she returned with her men…

"Okay, I think is here." Kazuto's voice interrupted both girls' trains of thoughts; their eyes moving towards him as he quickly descended and stared towards a relatively normal and unassuming patch of forest, with a mid-sized mountain at its side. "I'm sorry for taking so long, but I'm pretty new with this 'Energy Sensing' Mystery. If it wasn't because I'm somewhat used to feeling everyone's presences through our Link I probably wouldn't have even been able to do that…"

"No, if anyone should apologize it's me, Kazuto. I grew too reliant on the tech of my suit to always be available to me despite being in a foreign planet with no direct connection to the Alliance's HQ, and that prevented me from actually memorizing the exact coordinates of our camp." lamented Elysium with a shake of her head once Suguha let go of her, quickly putting on her black hood. "If I hadn't remembered even the general location thanks to what my personal droid summarized in our first report, we would have taken much…"

"Excuse me, can you please stop apologizing to each other?" asked the young kendoka with just a slightly annoyed tone, making both of them blink and look at her sheepishly. "We're supposed to be doing something serious, right?"

"Right…you're right, Suguha-san. Kazuto, once again for everything, you…have been way kinder with me than I deserved." giving them a military salute, the pink-haired alien turned around and headed towards seemingly nowhere, not once looking back. "You should probably get out of here now. It's already going to be difficult to explain my…changes, but it won't do us any good if they see either of you and try to attack before I can talk."

"…you sure, Elly?" couldn't help but ask the gamer, to which Elysium answered by giving a thumbs-up without even looking back, something he was pretty sure she had picked from his memories.

"I am. Till next time."

Wordlessly, Kazuto and Suguha exchanged a look before holding hands. They spared one last glance to the pink-haired captain before they vanished in a burst of Cosmic Energy. Finally giving a look to where they had been, the alien girl took a deep breath before walking forward.

She easily ignored the feeling trying to convince her to turn back, a low-level psychic barrier that would convince most humans, before stopping just as she hit an 'invisible wall'.

Putting her hands over it, Elysium saw how the 'air' seemed to waver for an instant, the shield barrier that protected their camp reacting to the presence of an intruder.

Still…

 _"Weird…why isn't anyone here already? They shouldn't take too long…unless the shield was damaged and the response was weaker because of it, but there is no way…"_

"Raise your hands and surrender, human!" came a mechanic voice while part of the dirt before her 'exploded' as a small automatic energy turret emerging, the 3 cannons aiming straight at her just as the 'illusion' being projected by the shield flickered and let her see the actual lack of trees and the buildings where they had stablished the camp, a few soldiers already running towards her. "You're to be detained for interrogation and…!"

"Don't try and tell me the protocol, private, I know it very well." cut him off the alien captain, barely suppressing the need to smirk at seeing him almost fall down at hearing her voice (Damn, Kazuto's memories were still affecting her attitude!). "So if you would please open the barrier and let me in, we have a lot to talk about."

"Ca-captain Revenant?! Is that you?!" all but cried the private, many of the soldiers nearby screaming in relief and disbelief. "I-it's a miracle! But…what happened to your suit? Are those Earth clothes? A-and…oh Fate, what's wrong with your hands?!"

"It's…a long story." sighed the pink-haired girl while shaking her head, before quickly adopting her 'commanding tone' once again. "I will explain it all in a report once I have been able to talk with lieutenant Konik and General Moria, so if you would please open the barrier…?"

"Ye-yes, at once! Someone, contact the command center and tell them to open the barrier in this location!" ordered the private while turning around, a couple soldiers quickly grabbing their communicators while he turned around, suddenly seeming worried as he remembered something. "The-there is a problem, though, Captain Elysium: Lieutenant Konik is unconscious. He was seriously wounded during the failed operation, and…"

"Wait, what?! Is he okay?! What exactly happened?!" all but shouted Elysium while pressing her hands against the barrier, fear filling her heart. Had her 'uncle'…?

"He tried to engage the servants of the Tyrant after we thought you dead when the antimatter bomb detonated and…it didn't end too well for him." the alien captain felt her eyes widen at the words, gritting her teeth and remembering that all of this was because of a stupid misunderstanding, banishing her worry at imagining her 'uncle' going against Kazuto's 'friends'. "He wasn't here when we realized you were not, so…Do-don't worry, though! He's already out of danger…but, without proper medical facilities here, there is just so much he can health. Unless we get access to Level 14 technology at least, he won't be able to fight aga…"

"Not a sssingle more word, private!" snarled a familiar voice before Elysium saw the cautious form of Gahul slithering towards the gathered soldiers and her, his battle-whip in hand for some reason. "…isss it really you, Elysssium?"

"What kind of question is that, general Moria?! Of course it's me!" growled the pink-haired girl, not in the mood for any delays now that she knew her 'uncle' was injured. "Now get the barrier down so I can pass and see how Rarun is…!"

"Do you take me for a fool? If you're truly captain Revenant, then you ssshould know how thisss sssituation isss way too sssussspiciousss to jussst allow you entry into the camp." coldly replied the snake-like alien while glaring at the surprised/outraged captain. "Thossse organic clawsss of yoursss are already sssussspiciousss enough, but there isss alssso the fact that you have no vehicle with you, and that thisss place isss too far away from your lassst known location for you to have arrived on foot."

"What's up with this interrogation, Gahul?! Do I need to remind you I'm still your superior officer?!" shouted Elysium while hitting the barrier with one of her claw-hands, trying to calm herself and suppress her wish to slam the general's face on the ground. "And I already told that private you cut off, I will explain everything when we get to the…!"

Faster than she could have thought possible, Gahul's whip shot forward, towards the shocked alien captain. It had been so unexpected, especially with her having almost forgotten the barrier shield was made to only block in one direction (Safely allowing the ones inside to attack any invaders like that), that she was almost unable to move her head back and dodge the attack.

The hood of the robe Kazuto had made for her didn't survive, though, being ripped apart by the 'Anaconda', letting her hair fall freely behind her and her face exposed to the world.

Whatever outraged cries or shouts towards the general's shouts died on the soldiers' throats when Elysium's wide eyes were exposed to the world.

Her 12-pointed-star-shaped irises, to be more precise.

"I knew it. The remainsss of Captain Revenant'sss battle sssuit I found in Tokyo Tower indicated ssshe had exploded from the inssside out. There wass no way ssshe could have sssurvived that." spoke Moria with a victorious tone, before it quickly turned into anger. "What were you hoping to gain, ssservant of the Tyrant?! You couldn't even get her form right!"

"N-no, Gahul, you got it all wrong, it IS me! The problem is that we were mistaken! The Tyrant is no longer a threat!" quickly rebutted the pink-haired alien while standing up, sweeping her hand to the side as she did so. "He lost his powers upon arriving at this Universe, to a human that means us no harm! That's how I'm even alive, if with my body…'changed'. He used his powers to save me!"

The last declaration wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't a lie either. After all, it HAD been Kazuto's powers what had allowed her to regain a physical body, and it HAD been him who all but ordered her to do so instead of letting herself die, so in a way he _had_ been the one to save her, even if it had been she herself who had tried to do the nigh-impossible deed in the end.

However, even if she was ready for a good deal of disbelief, she wasn't expecting for the general to suddenly break out in a maniac laughter after a couple seconds of silence, the sheer force of it making him shake.

"…re-really? Do you take usss for foolsss?! Even if by a miracle Elysssium wasss willing to hear out the Tyrant, ssshe would never buy in sssuch an outrageousssly ssstupid lie!" roared the snake-like alien while pointing with his whip towards the dumbfounded girl. "You're clearly an attempt from the Tyrant to dessstroy usss from the inssside, probably created with her remainsss! And I, Gahul Moria of the Universsal Alliance, will not ssstand for thisss insssult to our deceasssed captain!"

"Wha-what madness are you spouting, Gahul…?" muttered the stunned Elysium while taking a step back. "It's…it's the truth, dammit! I'm telling you the truth, and I can prove it! You just need to hear me out and let me call him he…!"

"You would dare to ssshow him our location?! No, what am I sssaying…you mossst likely already have! Real or not, puppet or not, that isss treassson againssst everything we ssstand for, Elysssium! Die!"

And with that hissing scream, Gahul shot forward through the barrier, weapon and tail whipping forward in an attempt to crush the frozen alien girl.

Without hesitation, she reacted, her tail unrolling itself from under the skirt she had been wearing while she threw away her black robe straight into the general's face the war-whip missing her by a mile while her tail stopped his dead on its tracks.

"Have you really gone mad, Gahul?!" screamed the captain while gripping her opponent's wrists with a painful grip, her claws digging into the snake-like alien's suit and making him hiss. "You're attacking a superior officer for no reason!"

"Ssshut up, traitor!" snarled the general while head-butting the pink-haired girl, making her recoil and loosen her grip on him, his war-whip igniting to life as he managed to rear it back. "In memory of Admiral Revenant, I will make you pay for desssecrating hisss daughter'sss memory to try and dessstroy…!"

 _That_ seemed to do it for Elysium, who raised her left claw-arm in time for the 'Anaconda' to entangle around it, making a sizzling sound but, to Gahul's shock, not melting through the bone-armor, the captain's tail breaking its stalemate with the general's and letting her slam her unoccupied claw, closed in a sloppy imitation of a fist, against his chest.

A breaking sound accompanied a scream when the snake-like alien hit the ground, the front of his armor cracked, not being able to even move out of the way before the captain's foot slammed over his chest, pinning him down while her tail did the same with his.

"Okay, Moria, if that's how you want to solve this situation then I have no choice but to beat some sense into you." coldly spat the pink-haired girl while pointing her right claw straight at the general's head, rage clear in her voice at the mention of her father. "And when I'm done I will make sure you get thrown in a cell for a long…!"

BANG!

Blinking, Elysium tried to understand what that sound had been. Or why a dull pain was filling her…and…was that blood staining the clothes Suguha had lent her?

Looking down with a strange sense of detachment, the alien captain saw the small hole and the wound going through the left side of her abdomen, clearly caused by laser fire. Slowly, she raised her gaze towards the front, seeing all of the soldiers present aiming at her with their rifles, the weapon from the closest one to the barrier, that same private she had first talked to upon arriving, smoking and signaling him as the one who had shot.

Unseen under his helmet, Gahul's face sported a vicious grin.

"S-stay back from our general, Servant of the Tyrant!" roared the private while the rest of the soldiers held their rifles with slightly shaky grips.

Elysium herself couldn't see it, but they were all staring with horror and a small sense of anger towards her now glowing star-shaped eyes, a familiar blue-white energy filling them and making them look identical to the symbol they had learned to hate and fear.

Unable to believe it, the alien captain took a step forward, raising her claw towards the infantry units.

"Wa…!"

"FIRE!"

Like a deafening cacophony of death, dozens of laser shots pierced the air. By instinct, the pink-haired girl raised her arms to protect her head with her organic claws, her bone-tail wildly lashing out to try and deflect or at least intercept as many shots as it could.

Her legs, forearms, and hits were still pierced several times despite her best efforts, making her stagger backward under the rain of energy projectiles.

And yet, the pain felt dulled. And yet, she did not feel to her knees. Because there was just one thought running through her head.

 _"How could…this happen…?"_

Mechanically, her gaze shifted towards Gahul's form, the snake-like alien half-crawling and half-slithering through the ground out of the line of fire, giving her a quick look over his shoulder.

She could almost feel him smiling.

 _"That…bastard! Liar! I will…!"_

"Don't take any chancesss! Activate the turret; don't leave the enemy a chance to retaliate!" roared the general while pointing at her. A few seconds later, the anti-infantry weapon started coming to life.

Screaming more in rage than pain, Elysium felt tears run down her eyes as she tried to at least charge forward, wanting nothing more than to crush Moria's head before dying.

When she only managed to have a shot pierce her leg in an angle sharp enough to blow up half her left foot, the alien captain felt despair filling her as she fell forwards towards the dirt…

Bluish and black energy exploded between her and the hail of laser fire, just as the turret started shooting, a roaring explosion of power filling the air.

Tear-stained eyes rising from the ground, Elysium saw in shock, just like the now frozen soldiers and wide-eyed Gahul.

Kirigaya Kazuto stood there, his face twisted in a cold angry look, twin stars shining bluish white/black on his eyes and his left hand raised…

…or what had been his left hand. As if the concentrated energy shots had blown it all up, now what remained slightly in the shape of an arm under what had been flesh was a mass of black 'energy', which seemed to pulsate as if filling with power beyond mortal comprehension.

Elysium's thoughts about that vanished when a terrified-looking Suguha kneeled at his side and looked over her bloody form, fear having replaced any trace of dislike as she did her best to help her up without touching her many wounds.

"T-the Tyrant!"

"It's him! R-red alert!"

"We're doomed!"

"General Moria was right, that's one of his servants now…!"

"O-Onii-chan, I think she's bleeding out!" screamed Suguha while staring at her adoptive brother's back, the gamer's eyes turning to her and widening slightly at takin in the brutalized body of the alien captain. "I…she…God…!"

The turret chose that moment to start shooting again, as if whoever was in charge of configuring the automatic systems thought it was better than just staring at their enemy without doing anything.

All the shots stopped inches from touching the black-haired boy, even as he turned around, his gaze burning with anger.

He closed his not-hand, the sound of shattering glass filling the air as if it was being amplified to the level of an earthquake.

Kazuto snarled as the entire barrier-shield protecting the Star Hunters' camp collapsed as if it was nothing, the backslash damaging several of the makeshift buildings and blowing up the generators that were creating the defense system.

For a moment, he seemed about to take a step forward towards the now terrified soldiers, but his face quickly changed into one of worry and, dismissing them as unimportant, he turned around and grabbed both girls, vanishing in a flash of Cosmic Energy the next instant.

Several seconds of numb silence went by before the extra-dimensional aliens seemed to realize that they were, from their point of view, miraculously alive, moment in which a growling Gahul came to his feet, ignoring the pain of his wounds.

"Dammit…he must be weaker than we thought if he prioritizes his Servants lives over killing us! Quick, everyone, sound the alarm and get ready! This location is compromised!" shouted the snake-like alien towards the still paralyzed soldiers.

"Bu-but general, what can we do? Even if we relocate what we can of the base, the Tyrant…"

"I know, private. We're executing Protocol Exile." darkly revealed the general to the infantry units, who gasped or exchanged grim looks. "Grab everything we can and regroup in the pocket-dimensssion generator, we will warp it asss far as we can from here, hide it and then relocate in the 'hangar'. Alssso, I'm moving the repairsss up to Priority Omega."

"Yo-you mean…?"

"Yesss." confirmed Gahul while slithering forward, the screams or confused shots of the inhabitants of the camp that hadn't been directly present to see the confrontation, and were now clearly confused at the destruction of the barrier, filling the air. "Get the droidsss working on finding the mossst sssecret and sssecure facility in thisss country that hasss the materialsss we need. It will be the one we can raid the easiessst asss no one will be expecting it, and alssso the one that will have the mossst difficult doing anything to retaliate becaussse of itsss sssecrecy."

Unseen by all, the snake-like alien caressed the container on his armor's arm, within which a small gem of untold power shone.

"Thisss hasss been the Tyrant'sss lassst insssult to usss. Whatever the consssequences, we need to get the Titan working and ready for Extermination."

Somewhere within the Multiverse, [DESTINY] closed his eyes at the echoing words…

* * *

The courtyard of the Kirigaya's house was peacefully quiet until a flash of Cosmic Energy exploded just beside its pond, 3 figures appearing as the Warping Mystery finished, one of them quickly rushing closer to the other two.

Suguha gave Kazuto another look and took a deep breath as she took her bloodstained hands off Elysium's slightly shaky form, looking at her clawed hands in silence.

"Hey, scor…Elysium…you okay?"

"Ah…I ruined the clothes you lend me…" numbly muttered the alien girl while her eyes moved towards the young kendoka's face. "Sorry about that…"

"Who cares about my clothes?! They almost shot you to death!" snapped the youngest Kirigaya, unable to hold back anymore, the sight of more blood she had seen in her life having clearly affected her as she roughly grabbed the captain's shoulders. "What the hell happened?! Why did they attack you?! Weren't you supposed to talk to them?!"

"One of my direct subordinates…just convinced my own men that I'm now a traitor and a servant of our greatest enemy…" muttered Elysium, staring vacantly at the agitated human. "People I have commanded…and fought at the side of for years…just tried to kill me…karma must be real, don't you…think?"

"Wha…?!"

"Sugu, calm down!" shouted Kazuto while grabbing Suguha's arm, the girl instantly letting go of the pink-haired alien and reaching to hug him, the boy letting her shake in his half-embrace as he looked at the clearly overwhelmed Elysium and reached to touch her. "We will figure this out later, for now it will be better if I try and heal your wounds as best as I…"

The black-haired boy froze, shock clear on his face. Confused, the pink-haired alien looked towards what had made him pause.

Her wounds…were closing. All of them, shining with a pale bluish-white hue, the flesh knitting back together as if it had a will on its own. Even the cracks on their bone-tail were mending themselves, what should have taken months being restored in seconds, leaving nothing but the blood covering her as testament they had been there.

Numbly, Elysium stared towards the pond beside them, finally watching her own reflex, seeing the hauntingly familiar light and shape in her now glowing eyes, their emerald color fully covered by the cosmic hue.

Her gaze once again turned towards the Kirigaya siblings, now both of them looking at her with shock and confusion.

"…what am I now…?"

Somewhere within the country, a bespectacled man watched as several tests were made to the 4 pieces of a diamond-made sword, its azure color seemingly draining the very light that surrounded it, the energy-measures being registered making him smile excitedly.

And in a place where no one could reach…

 **-…search finished. Most likely match found: Kirigaya Kazuto. Residence: Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan. Age: 16. Known relatives…-**

Floating near the edge of the atmosphere, the crimson and golden armored figure stared at the image of the black-haired boy being projected by his armor's HUD, the unnatural energy glowing within its visor fluctuating as it recognized him from the memories of the body it had 'taken'.

"Tyrant…"

Ever so slowly, a conflict that would shake the world approached…

* * *

 **Lesson 13** **:** _Traitors will usually have a reason for their actions…but we all can be Liars without even realizing._

* * *

 **Next** **:** _When you Live among the Stars…_

* * *

 **Omake: The Holy Book of the Black Blades 2**

 _From the Holy Book of the Black Blades_ (Written by the Rat Sage, edited by the Red Blade)

 _Chapter 1: New Dawn. 5th Recollection_

 _And so, during our Lord and Savior's times of need, during that dark age before He guided us with His teachings of [Life], the **Red Blade** rose to His call._

 _Also hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun, and second only to His Sacred Stars, the Red Blade was one of the most trusted and devoted followers of our Lord from the very beginning. He had been with Him even during His Great Exile in the dreamland of the Floating Castle, long before the Age of Glory._

 _Fearless and determined, undeterred by any of Fate's challenges, always willing to stand for those he protected, the Red Blade was a champion without equal, and the First to show mankind the greatness of our Lord. During the events of the Great Change, he traveled the world and cut down evil, all for the disinterested purpose of showing all men and women under Earth's sky the goodwill of our Savoir, so that they accepted Him with open arms when the Time came._

 _And he succeeded._

 _For clad in his armor the color of blood, soaring the heavens like an immortal phoenix, the Red Blade went forward, all evil falling to his sword's edge…_

 **Translation Addendum:** For some unknown reason, at the bottom of the page with this specific chapter we found what seemed like a message written by hand for someone, which roughly translated as _"This chapter is filled with so much bullshit I can't believe you convinced me to write it,…"_ followed by we assume is the name of the so-called 'Red Blade', but we can't translate it as it's written in a language different from that in which the rest of the book is written in. Further investigation is required.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Done! And once again, sorry for the delay OxO

Well, not much to say this time, except that, woah, who saw coming that things weren't going to end so quickly and easily? Get ready everyone, for the craziest part of this ride is about to start!

Next time in RU, crazy revelations, outrageous requests, conflicted hearts and the Rise of the mysterious Red Blade, whose idenity you will neeever guess! (Wait, is that a Spoiler? Eh, whatever XP)


	17. Chapter 14: When Living among the Stars

Here…we are. First of all, SORRY to you all that read the story for the massive delay, it wasn't meant to happen. It's just that something I totally didn't expect happened and went out of control faster than I though. For those that don't know and are wondering what it is, take a look at my Stories on my profile and you will see this weird thing with tentacles and many eyes called Lusus Naturae looking at you like a puppy, which is surprisingly easy, fast and interesting to write, but that it shouldn't have delayed me for my main project for so long. Once again, I apologize for this.

Okay, but, with all that aside, we're once again with another chapter of this mad story, where many developments happen that start putting everything in the way of the end. Be ready, everyone, and have a good time reading!

 **PS:** Also, for anyone interesting, I was able to find a couple of concept art images of both Yuuki and Aiko in real life that someone Uploaded from the latest art work of abec (The series illustrator for the Light Novels), and put the links to them in the part of my profile about this story, in case anyone wants to give them a look :3

 **Disclaimer:** SAO and its characters don't belong to me, but to Kawahara Reki. If they did, I would make 'There is But One Ultimate Way' the official canon epilogue of the series so as to everyone could be happy.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: When you Live among the Stars…**

 **January 3rd, 2025. Yggdrasil City, Alfheim Online. 12:00…**

Looking silently at the beautiful visage that was the world of faired down below, Yuuki Asuna, Logged in that moment with the GM Avatar 'Titania the Fairy Queen', sighed before giving a look towards the warm virtual sun high above.

Idly, her hands moved over the detailed message (More like a small document at that point) she had been writing and send it, her weekly details and bits of advice to improve ALO coming with also ideas for a possible future expansion based off another of the mythological worlds that were connected by the Yggdrasil in Norse Mythology, Svartalfheim.

She wasn't really expecting much out of it, but doing so at least had allowed her to keep herself distracted from all that had happened two days ago.

Being perfectly honest, a part of her had been sure that things wouldn't go as smoothly as that alien girl…as Elysium just going back and telling her men to stand down. Call her pessimistic, but being the sub-commander of the KoB for a bit over a year and a half had made her learn to expect the worse out of any dangerous situations, and always make sure to have at least 3 contingency plans ready before going to ask for Heathcliff's go ahead in any operation.

The rapier-user blamed reality in having gotten so careless so as to not suggest the same. Between her current emotional mess, the animosity with her mother getting worse by the day and the whole stress in general that being partially granted cosmic powers had caused her, Asuna had been too out of it to try and suggest going with Kazuto and the rest when they took Elysium back to her camp. Even just a simple suggestion of them waiting hidden to survey the situation instead of going back could have stopped the horrible complications that had resulted from the catastrophic event.

Elysium had almost been shot to death, the event, the knowledge of her even more apparent 'unnatural' new nature and having been attacked by those she trusted and fought at the side of for so long having thrown the alien girl into a deep trauma. If Kazuto and Suguha were to be believed, the ex-captain had spent most of her time the last two days in their courtyard staring at the pond, barely moving or eating even if she did engage them in conversation when asked, though nothing they said seemed to convince her to move.

Now then, Asuna didn't like the girl, at all. In fact, a part of her was still hatefully angry at her for what she had tried to do (And in a way succeeded) to Kazuto. Even if the situation had been explained, the boy himself seemed to have forgiven her and she was trying to atone for what she had done, the chestnut-haired girl was sure that part of her would never stop feeling that way towards the pink-haired alien.

That didn't mean she was happy for what had happened to her, though, nor that she wished such harm upon her. Especially when said event had caused their current and most worrying complication.

In his rage after seeing the state in which Elysium had been left by her own comrades (Something that she couldn't blame him for, sadly, given how the gamer was), Kazuto had unleashed a bit of his Cosmic Power and destroyed their barrier shield, which the aliens used to stay off the radar and hidden. It had been barely an hour later, after calling and informing everyone of what had happened, that the black-haired boy and most of the group had teleported back on the scene, this time with him willing to make the Star Hunters sit down and listen by force if needed to be…but they had found nothing.

Not even abandoned alien buildings, as these had apparently only left perfect craters on the ground as if they had been disintegrated or something, though the area had clear signs of having been evacuated with hurry. And Kazuto's attempts to use his limited knowledge of his powers to track them down had been fruitless. Elysium, sadly, had no idea where they could have gone, and her words had only managed to worry everyone more.

After all, they were now dealing with scared and cornered aliens that had nothing to lose and thought everything had turned against them. The situation had gone from worse to absolutely terrible.

And yet, nothing had happened. Two days later, the world kept spinning, even if news about the 'terrorist attack' from New Year were still buzzing everywhere and more than one forum had been flooded by those talking about the 'alien invasion'. Yhmos, from his part, had remained silent beside expressing clear resignation and dissatisfaction when told of what had happened, unlike his clearly worried daughters, Yui most of all, who had insisted in trying to help them out in whatever they could and that they should contact each other as soon as they obtained any information, something that had, despite how little useful it actually was, made her feel relieved.

Asuna honestly could say she got along well with the MHCPs, despite the 'quirky' personalities most of them had, or the clear infatuation the two oldest ones had with the boy she loved…and that was currently in a happy relationship with someone she was starting to consider as one of her closest friends ever, maybe as much as Liz.

Once again, the memory of her lips joining with Kazuto's surfaced into her mind, her face turning scarlet as she idly touched her mouth with one of her fingers, doing just a meager attempt to banish the memory of what she remembered as one of the best things she had felt in her life.

Groaning, the Yuuki heiress shook her head in a vain attempt to banish those thoughts. She _knew_ she should get over it already. That's what normal girls did with their first crushes when they knew they were out of their reach.

…then again, most 'normal girls' didn't have a link of cosmic nature tying them to said crush, neither had gone through countless deadly situations together with them, nor faced aliens for their sake and almost felt as if their heart had been torn apart when they thought said person was dying.

The point was that Asuna just couldn't let go of her feelings, and the Anchor Link just kept reminding her of them. It didn't help either how that crazy part of her mind had actually been encouraged by Suguha's soft reaction to her kissing _her_ boyfriend.

A small beeping sound distracted the former sub-commander from any improper thoughts about unreal relationships, reminding her she had set up her alarm to get out and eat before meeting everyone in RUO later. It seemed Yhmos had finally decided to break his silence and summoned them, saying something important needed to be discussed, or at least that's what Yui had said.

Giving one last look to her GM Menu to make sure she hadn't messed up anything by mistake during her daily inspection, 'Titania' Logged Out and vanished from Alfheim, Yuuki Asuna releasing a sigh as she took off her AmuSphere. Calmly, she stood up and headed downstairs, greeting the family's maid when she passed the woman on the stairs and heading towards the kitchen.

Less than 10 minutes later, she was sitting in the excessively big dining table while eating by herself, taking slow bites off her sandwich and with a glass of cold tea at her side.

Maybe cooking in real life wasn't as easy or simple as it had been in SAO, but she was more than capable of making herself a small meal like this. There was no reason to bother the chef to get anything at such hour.

"…were you wasting your time in that game again?" came a disapproving voice from the dining room's entrance, making the chestnut-haired girl freeze mid-bite before simply continuing eating with all the calm in the world.

"I wasn't wasting my time, but working. You have seen the results and heard the reports from father and Onii-sama, so you know it's true." flatly replied Asuna without even looking up from her meal.

Yuuki Kyouko scowled at the answer, unable to flat out deny it but not liking it at all anyway, never mind how her quite rebellious (In her opinion) daughter was all but ignoring her right then.

"Regardless, you should be more worried about studying than doing such things."

"The new school for SAO Survivors will open in 4 months and I already looked over the basic subjects we will cover upon entering to catch up, I'm not neglecting my education just because I'm doing something I enjoy as an actual world." cut her off the chestnut-haired girl with a sharp look, almost making the woman feel the need to take a step back. "If that's all you wanted to tell me? I'm going back to my room now; I'm meeting up with my friends, then after we may go out for a bit."

"…dammit Asuna, stop there this instant!" growled Kyouko, her patience finally lost as her daughter finished her sandwich and walked past her with her glass of tea in hand, the woman's hand shooting to the teenage shoulders. "Why won't you…?!"

"Why won't I what, mom? Obey you in everything you say like before? Not caring about thinking what's better for myself in my opinion?" for a moment, Kyouko almost believed to see something spark within Asuna's eyes as the girl did a visible effort to calm down, which made her let go of her daughter almost by instinct. "…I don't want this, mom, I don't want us to be arguing all day, I don't want us to act this aggressive with each other every time we're in the same room…you're my mother and I love you…but you have to understand that I'm not the same I was before SAO. I have changed, matured…I may not know what I want to do with my life yet, but I'm more than able to take those decisions myself."

"But you're just a…!"

"I have fought for my life and my freedom almost every day for two years, mom. Don't you dare to say I am a child when I have been fighting monsters with my life on the line." spat the chestnut-haired girl while her mother's eyes widened, this time truly taking a step back at the sheer raw emotion in her daughter's voice. "One day, when you're ready to accept and be civil about this, I will be willing for us to sit down and talk it out like adults. Until then, though…have a good day."

And without saying another word, Asuna walked out of the room, gripping her glass a bit too tightly as a spark of cosmic energy flew through her eyes and she forced herself to calm down.

A small part of her wanted to just scream at her mother to understand how unfair she was being, to throw caution to the wind and tell her how close she and her friends had been of dying just some days ago, how there may not even be a school to worry about if things went south as the country, and maybe the world, would be recovering from a direct encounter with highly advanced and powerful aliens.

But she reigned herself in. Throwing a tantrum wasn't going to solve anything, after all, and she had been through enough during her time in the KoB to know that they would only make things worse. That decided, she took another deep breath and headed to her room while downing the rest of her cold tea.

Back downstairs, Kyouko was still staring at the door of the room, feeling overwhelmed and, surprisingly…sad.

Slowly, the woman sat down, wondering when her relationship with her daughter had started to become so cold…

* * *

Koujiro Rinko stared at the massive area that gave a feeling of underground and wondered, not for the first time, if she would end up developing some claustrophobia sooner or later.

It had been a bit over 2 days since the Star Hunters had 'moved' there, and it was clear that, despite their best attempts to do accommodate themselves, the place wasn't really suited to host so many people _actually_ living there, despite its immense size.

And, as every time she thought of that, the woman's gaze was inevitably drawn to the massive thing at its very center, towering high into the mostly darkened 'hangar', so big that it boggled the mind and it made the human shiver at the implications.

Something so big shouldn't exist. It shouldn't be able to move either. And, definitively, shouldn't be a weapon of any kind. That was what common sense dictated to Rinko's terrified mind.

And yet, she couldn't deny the reality that her eyes were seeing.

As big as a small mountain. Six lower limbs the size of tall buildings. Two upper ones shaped like cannons the size of ships. Six eyes that shone with just a faint light, as if waiting to be awakened and fulfill its destructive purpo…

"Admiring our Titan, Misss Rinko?" questioned the suddenly appeared form of Gahul Moria, the snake-like alien stopping near the silently sitting woman. "Hasss it made you think about sssomething ssspecific?"

"…you want to use THAT thing here on Earth?" whispered Rinko before standing up, throwing caution to the wind as she grabbed the general's shoulders and stared right into his helmet with wild eyes, fear and despair mixed within them. "Are you insane?! This thing…it's not a weapon, it's a fucking giant genocide machine! You will tear the entire country apart if you unleash that thing in…!"

"In our Universsse, thisss Mobiusss Titan isss in fact a low-level planetary-combat weapon, misss Rinko. And the Tyrant could fight off entire armiesss of Giganto onesss, itsss big and mean cousssins in both sssize and dessstructive powersss, meant for Ssstar Sssyssstem invasssionsss." coldly replied the snake-like alien without even moving, the woman letting go of him in shock. "Let that sssink in your little human head for you to underssstand the ssscale of the enemy we're facing, and why we mussst dessstroy him before he reachesss such levelsss again."

"But…you can't…"

"I can and I will, Koujiro. The end jussstifiesss the meansss, and thisss sssingle planet isss not worth your entire Universsse, and who knowsss how many more if the Tyrant decidesss to not ssstop there." snarled Gahul while finally pushing the woman away from him. "Anyway, worry not, having you here any longer isss nothing but a hindrance to usss, so I jussst came to tell you we're dropping you in sssome random town of the country in a couple hoursss. You won't be our problem anymore, and it'sss not like anyone isss jussst going to believe you right away if you go blabbering about aliensss, if your culture isss anything to go by." giving her his back, the snake-like alien started slithering away. "And by the time you can get anyone that matters to believe you're not crazy, it will be too late anyway."

Those words said, the general moved away from the shocked and defeated-looking human, mentally snorting in contempt.

While it was truth that what he had said were the main concerns and objectives most of the soldiers there were fighting for and that a part of him believed in such, the true main objective he had was the defeat of the Tyrant, and the partial or total destruction of Earth was indeed a small price to pay for such a feat.

His race was one of warriors, one where strength mattered above all else. While they had become part of the Universal Alliance to oppose the Tyrant because His power was one based on things beyond them and that threatened to turn them into sheep that worshiped him, it didn't change the core nature of how they were.

One way or another, their dreaded enemy would fall in that world. Even if he had to take it, and everyone on its surface, down with the Cosmic Being in the process.

Idly, as he had taken to do lately, he caressed the side of his right arm's armor, within which Yurandi's royal treasure was stored…

"General Moria!" shouted a soldier while rushing towards his superior officer, earning himself an inquisitive glance. "Flint found a human facility with all the requirements, sir! If our info is right, it has all the materials we may need and whatever they're doing there is so secret it's not even in the official reports of their cover company. Besides, the facility's construction is still unfinished, so …"

"RATH, uh? Well, not the weirdessst named thing we have heard sssince coming to thisss planet. Let usss prepare to raid thisss 'Ocean Turtle' facility." muttered the snake-like alien, hiding his clear puzzlement at such a stupid name for any secret facility. "…alssso, order one of our Magiciansss to warp prisssoner Rinko to the any of the country's citiesss as sssoon as we depart…and make sure to put a tracker on her without her knowledge."

"…a…tracker, sir?"

"Yesss. No matter how sssmall, we can't allow a sssecurity breach like her going around unsssupervisssed. Give her half a human hour after ssshe hasss been releasssed…then sssend a sssmall team to terminate her."

Those words said, Gahul Moria turned around and slithered away, heading to get ready for the upcoming operation.

He would fulfill Elysium's promise of releasing the woman (Kayaba's disappearance impeded doing the same for him so that was out of his hands), yes…but never did the former princess promise that they wouldn't be pursued after that.

After all, the General wouldn't commit the stupid mistake of risking everything they were planning because of a small ignored and assumed unimportant detail.

He had read enough people pointing out how stupid that was in the human's internet to make the same mistake.

All in all, Gahul was sure that nothing could possibly go wrong that day.

And on Its Throne above Everything, [FATE] snorted.

* * *

Heading towards her house's dojo, Kirigaya Suguha idly tugged the hem of her kendo hakama, biting her lips as she replayed the events of the last few days on her mind.

Maybe it was the world finding a way to punish her for the selfishness of having thought things would be easier after knowing her adopted brother's secret? Or maybe for having fallen in love with him and having her feelings returned? Yes, it sounded silly, but after discovering things like other Universes and Cosmic Entities existed, she wasn't all that sure that things like Fate or Destiny didn't.

Whatever the case, the reality of the situation was that they had a group of dangerous and trigger-happy aliens loose in their planet, hell-bent on killing her boyfriend/adoptive brother and with probably even less willingness to not cause collateral damage now that they had been driven into a corner. What made her feel even worse, though, was how this had clearly been affecting Kazuto, as his worries had obviously skyrocketed and his inability to track the Star Hunters down didn't help matters. Despite her best efforts to try and cheer him up, she had only managed to lift his spirits when she was at his side and holding him close or even kissing him, but the young kendoka knew he still was stressed out of his mind because of their current mess every moment he was out of her sight. The fact that he had left earlier to go around and 'clear his head a bit', alone, only reinforced her belief on that.

And then, there was the _other_ depressed person, to a much more obvious and visible extreme, that…

Stopping as she entered the dojo, the surprised Suguha came face to face with a scene she wasn't expecting to see.

Barefoot and standing in the middle of the room as she swung a shinai, Elysium Syrom Revenant was looking at the bamboo blade with a look of utmost concentration, only to blink and look towards the youngest Kirigaya upon noticing her.

"Ah, Sugu…ha-san. Good…good morning…"

"It's way past midday, definitively not morning anymore." answered Suguha with a slight deadpan before sighing and crossing her arms, staring at the pink-haired alien with a neutral expression. "So…you finally moved away from staring at the pond like a living corpse…any special reason you're here now?"

"Well, I know…I mean, in Kazuto's memories, you always seemed to relax and free yourself of your doubts when you did this, so…" Elysium trailed off, apparently guessing she didn't need to explain more.

Being honest, the young kendoka still had mixed feelings about the former princess. On the one hand, she had tried (And in a way succeeded) to kill the person she cared for the most in the world. No matter under which reasons or ideas she had done so, that didn't change things for her, and Suguha was sure that, if Kazuto had truly died and hadn't actively asked for them to not harm the alien girl, she would have probably _killed_ her. And the scariest part was that she was sure she would probably have felt as guilty as if she had just ended a hated Boss within ALO.

On the other hand…Elysium clearly had seen how wrong she was and put her whole self into trying to atone for her mistake, not to mention showing she had no real harmful intentions. And then the girl had been betrayed by the soldiers she trusted and had commanded for years when she had tried to put an end to the terrible situation they were in. They had even tried to kill her and probably would have succeeded if Kazuto and she hadn't gone back to help her after the boy felt something was 'wrong'. And after that, the now also former captain had been stuck in a state of shocked depression, barely seeming to have any will to do anything.

Because of all of this, Suguha was unsure of how to act around Elysium. And that was without taking into account the pink-haired alien's own reactions when Kazuto's memories of his more 'intimate' moments with the young kendoka came to her mind.

Even so…there was a simple way in which she could probably help both of them clear their minds…while also giving a little satisfaction to her darkest impulses towards the girl with the bone-like tail.

"…throw me one of the shinai there."

"…what?" asked Elysium in confusion while turning around, feeling something inside her shake at the cold and determined look on the human girl's face.

That wasn't the face of Kirigaya Suguha the student or the Sylph Warrior. That was the face of the National-Level Kendoka that the girl had trained to become almost since she could properly talk.

"You heard me. You were trying to clear your head, right? Well, what better way to do it than with a friendly spar?"

"…you know that saying 'friendly' while you're releasing so much bloodlust with your gaze is kind of…?"

"Just give me that shinai already!"

A couple minutes later, both females were standing silently while looking directly at each other, one holding her shinai awkwardly with her claws while the other did so in a perfectly relaxed and practiced stance.

"Sho-shouldn't we be wearing the protective gear?" asked the older of the two while biting her lips.

"Don't worry about it, we're both inhumanly tough, remember? Feel free to not hold back as long as you only use the shinai." curtly answered the younger one.

Elysium was about to comment on how that made it still totally in Suguha's advantage when the young kendoka _moved_ , seemingly teleporting before the former princess and slashing downwards with her shinai, as if aiming to split her skull open.

The alien girl was fast enough to react and dodge the attack, but her attempt to parry it were sloppy at best and almost made her lost her grip on her weapon.

Not giving her any chance to recover, the human girl kept her onslaught, unwilling to give an inch even as Elysium, despite having the strength to rival and maybe even slightly surpass her, was unable to do anything but fall back.

There was no helping it. After all, the former captain was an expert in unarmed combat, which her claws complemented, and her tail reinforced even more, but now she was unable to use any of those. While her old suit contained a long-range weapon, she rarely used it and only had the Basic Training with it. She had never been trained to use a bladed weapon, and the meager knowledge she could recall of kendo from Kazuto's memories wasn't enough to…

Elysium's eyes widened and, with a swift movement, she evaded the young kendoka's latest attack, landing on her feet with grace and, after taking a deep breathe, abandoning her sloppy kendo stance completely in favor of another, looser one.

Suguha immediately tensed, not even bothering to question her 'weird stance', because her instincts went into overdrive at that same instant, even as her mind called forth her change in movements as something she had seen already…

The former princess was upon her the next instant, her blade shooting forward in a wild yet graceful movement, which she swiftly blocked, though this time with noticeable effort.

The young kendoka's eyes narrowed while the pink-haired girl's gaze hardened. Without saying a word, they both vanished from sight before clashing in the middle of the dojo once again.

Time and time again, faster than any normal human, no matter how sharp their senses, would be able to perceive, both females vanished and reappeared, exchanging one or several hits before quickly disengaging for a few seconds and then clashing again.

Firm and years-drilled standard kendo skill clashed against an unorthodox method of swordsmanship meant for survival.

Soon, the sound of hard breathing filled the air besides that of bamboo swords straining to their limits and feet hitting the wooden floor way too hard. Sweat started to cover the fighters' bodies. Sooner or later, something had to give in…and it happened to both of them.

Overcompensating from a too fast blocking, Suguha slammed her foot against one of the walls to throw herself forward once again, cracking it. Eyes widened, she hesitated at the sound of splintering wood and her strike and jump lost strength.

Elysium, for her part, was ready to take full advantage of her opponent's slip…when the image of the girl coming towards her was replaced by that of her own self, with her old armor and diamond-shaped eyes, helmet broken and looking defeated as she threatened her with not a shinai but a blade of bluish diamond, giving her his back only to receive a surprise and desperate attack from [Determination]…

Both girls' last attacks slammed against each other, concentration and stances broken, and both shinai broke in half, the pieces of bamboo flying and slamming against their respective opponents' heads, sending both kendoka and alien to the ground.

Several seconds of silence passed before they rolled themselves over once again, looking towards the ceiling before staring towards the damaged wall and then to the broken bamboo swords.

"…sorry about that, I know how important this place is for you and…"

"Shh, don't worry; it's not your fault. I got too carried away and forgot this place can't handle inhuman pressure." stopped her Suguha while closing her eyes, catching her breath as she replayed the 'spar' they just had. "…that was Onii-chan's fighting style, right?"

"…yes." admitted Elysium with a slightly ashamed tone. "I have no actual training with bladed weapons, with your ability and superhuman nature you would have crushed me in no time…so I decided to borrow Kirito's skill. Not a perfect copy, and clearly my grip on the memories is becoming feebler every time, but it worked…not sure if I would be able to effectively repeat it on a real fight, though…"

"I see…" commented the young kendoka before releasing a soft sigh, raising her hand and staring silently at the broken shinai before declaring a simple thing. "…I'm going to drop from my kendo club."

The former captain's head snapped towards her, so hard she almost cracked the floor with the action.

"WHAT?! Bu-but…that's not…you _love_ practicing kendo!" all but screamed Elysium with total shock, the memories she had gotten from Kazuto having shown her more than enough to perhaps be a bit too involved with that conversation. "You have been practicing it for most of your life, why would you…?!"

"Isn't it obvious at this point?" questioned Suguha while waving the broken shinai, releasing a mirthless chuckle as dawning realization appeared on the former princess' face. "Yep, that. Right now, I doubt even the world's best kendoka, hell, probably the world's champions of any sword-related sport, could even hope to hold a candle to me…and it would be unfair to everyone else if I continued practicing it while I'm like this."

"But…once Kazuto manages to reverse the Anchor Link's changes…"

"Let's be honest here, Elysium. You have _been_ in Onii-chan's memories. You know as well as we do that he will probably take years in learning how to properly do such a thing without risking hurting any of us, and only when he's 100% sure that will be the case would he even try, because that's just how he is. Meanwhile, I have a small tournament in a few months…if your men don't blow up the country or something." giving her a tired smile, the young kendoka looked back to the dojo's ceiling once again. "Besides…I think a part of me _doesn't want_ to be changed back. Weird powers aside, this connection I share with Onii-chan…with Kazuto…with everyone else…I don't think I want to give it up. The other day, when it almost seemed as if I lost it, I felt incredibly small and alone…and I think the others think the same."

"…would you really give up on your dreams just because of that?" questioned Elysium with a strangely deep voice, her own memories coming to mind. "Something you have strived all your life for…would you just let it go, like that?"

"Hey, you're sounding as if it's the end of the world! I practiced kendo because first out of duty towards my grandfather, then because I liked it. I never did it to try and become the best kendoka ever, you know? Besides, it's not as if I'm going to actually stop practicing it, I have a dojo here at home…I just need to stop being part of official competitions, and it's not as if I don't have other dreams…" trailing off, Suguha let a small smile appear on her face, thinking about how she once wished to fly among the stars, the dream not seeming so unreachable anymore. "But, if you're asking me if I would drop it all in exchange for being with him? Then the answer is yes, I would."

Kirigaya Suguha loved practicing kendo. It was a part of her, after all, and while the act of flying truly attracted her soul much more, it was still something she just couldn't see herself dropping without purpose.

…but she loved Kirigaya Kazuto an infinite amount more, as she knew he did too. And while living a life without the sport that had forged her into the girl she was today was hard to imagine for her, imagining a life without him by her side was absolutely impossible for her now. And she wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

"I see…I think I'm starting to understand it better, this bond you share with him and with the others…and how he sees it too…" whispered Elysium before sitting up, a serious look on her face. "I can't keep moping around like a scared kid anymore. Whether my men recognize it or not anymore, I'm still an officer of the Universal Alliance, protecting the peace of the Universe is my duty, even if it's _another_ Universe. I won't let them harm innocent people for a mistaken reason…even if I have to hurt them a bit to make them see reason."

"…heh, you know I think I also understand you a bit better now, Elysium." muttered the young kendoka while giving the alien girl a small smile. "…I still don't like you at all, though."

"And I still get all these confusing warm feelings when I stare at your face this close, so I think that makes us even for now."

"Wha…?! AGH! Why did you have to bring **that** up?!"

Ignorant of how his girlfriend/adoptive sister and the former alien princess he had allowed to stay in his home were having a weird moment of bonding, in that moment, Kirigaya Kazuto was sitting on the Dicey Café, looking quite tired as he drank his second glass of cold tea under the questioning gaze of Andrew Gilbert Mills.

"…everything okay, Kirito?"

"Ugh…yeah, Agil, nothing for you to worry about." waved it off the teen while looking down on his drink, trying to suppress a grimace. "Just…some things in my life are a bit difficult right now…"

Things like crazy aliens wanting to kill him and possibly endanger the whole world while doing so, not to mention being a teenager with the power to bend the cosmos to his Will.

"…would you care to share that with your pal here, then?" came a familiar voice from behind the boy before a tired-looking but ever-smiling Tsuboi Ryoutarou sat down beside him. "Hey, Agil, put me the same as always!"

"Coming…"

"Klein…" muttered Kazuto while looking at the samurai wannabe, quickly looking back towards his tea. "It's…not exactly something I want to talk about."

"Oh, c'mon Kirito, don't be like that! You're not the only one having it hard to get used back to normal life after SAO, you know? I'm having a hell of a time on my job…though it's not like I can complain as much as before, given that they were awesome enough to let me come back after this…" shaking his head, the man of the bandana gave his wayward friend a toothy smile. "So, why don't you try and let your good pal Klein give you some advice for once, Mr. Black Swordsman?"

For a moment, the black-haired boy stared towards the man, wondering what excuse he would need to make him drop the subject. Then, he remembered that first day seemingly so long ago, in the Town of Beginnings, when he abandoned the future guild leader after he said he had to go gather his friends and the young boy feared he couldn't keep all of them safe…

"…you will think I'm crazy if I tell you even half of it."

"…pfftt, really, Kirito? We went through SAO! Do you really think any problem you're facing right now will faze me?"

Giving him another look, Kazuto took a deep sip from his tea.

Then, as he saw Andrew heading towards a table to take an order, he started talking.

* * *

Staring silently at the room beyond the reinforced glass, Lieutenant Colonel Seijirou Kikuoka of the Japan Self-Defense Force, part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (VR World Division) and former member of the SAO Case Victims Rescue Force and now one of the main leaders of the soon to be started 'Project Alicization', let a small smile tug at the edge of his lips as the glowing 4 parts of the 'sword' illuminated the room and the scientists testing it within.

The man of way too many titles had, for once, 100% benefited from all his diverse positions within the Japanese government at the same time, as he had been allowed to conserve the strange object when it became clear that its unnatural origin could both still be weaponized (Like almost everyone that knew of its existence clearly wanted) and kept hidden with total security from prying eyes by being assigned to his facility. After all, the 3/4 complete 'Ocean Turtle' was, arguably, the best hidden and most secret location in the whole country in that moment. When it was completed in a little less than a year and the whole equipment and personal was installed, said security would be even doubled, so the decision had been clear once he had voiced the suggestion, despite quite a few protests.

After all, both he and his main partner, Higa Takeru, had seen the massive boost that the properties of the mysterious blade could give to the project he had started to imagine since his time as one of SAO's 1000 Beta Testers (And wasn't it ironic that his vision of work for that had saved him from getting into the actual game?).

For some reason, the supposedly 'alien' weapon could absorb energy…and amplify it, almost three times as much as it received. So far, it had been tested with electricity, lasers, ultrasonic waves and other similar things, and all of it was absorbed and converted by the fragments effortlessly. While it was clearly meant to be used as a direct weapon, Kikuoka had been quick to realize that if they could find a way to use it as a 'battery' the results could be infinitely more productive that if they turned the fragments into one-use-bombs, like some idiots on the higher echelons had wanted. Luckily, his sound arguments and the backing of his direct superiors had allowed the bespectacled man to keep the blade.

If they managed to power the still half-finished Light Cube Cluster with the strange energy that the sword released…

"Kiku-kun?" came Higa's questioning voice from beside the man, making him blink and look his way. "We're going to start the next test now. Anything you think we should prepare?"

"Ah…no, not really, Takeru." answered the RATH officer while shaking his head, looking back towards the Chief Developer of Project Alicization with a serious look. "Be honest with me, do you truly think this thing will be able to absorb even radiation?"

"I don't know, but we don't lose anything by testing it. If it works, it will open even more possibilities than we could have imagined, especially if we truly manage to use this as a power source. If not…well, we would still have 3 parts of it that aren't mortally irradiated, so it's all good, right?" was Higa's answer as he scratched his head, staring towards where they were once again preparing each fragment of the 'sword' to be stored by separate. "Honestly, I was already quite worried about properly assembling the Soul Translators even before we got our hands on this…do you believe the stories, Seijirou? Do you think aliens are among us and ready to invade us?"

"While under normal circumstances I would have dismissed such words as mad talk, the absurd capabilities of this thing and the unreal damage done in Yokohama the other day, not to mention the mysterious power outage that no one can explain, and whatever the hell that 'Scream' everyone in the damn country heard was, give it _some_ support. And that without taking into account the twenty or so people that said they saw 'futuristic soldiers and floating tanks' on the streets before the sound of explosions and gunfire started." summarized Kikuoka while turning around, walking down the hallway while his partner followed. "Still, that's not our problem right now. Let the higher-ups worry about catching aliens and preventing possible invasions, we need to veil for the future of mankind against threats we know for sure are rea…"

All lights going off all of a sudden interrupted whatever the bespectacled man was about to say, making his and Higa's eyes to widen. Then, screams on the distance and strangely muted sounds arrived at their ears, making both men tense.

"What the hell is going on? Why haven't the emergency generators kicked in?! Why aren't the alarms sounding?!" shouted a clearly distressed Higa as they ran down the hallway, the former SAO Beta Tester at his side trying uselessly to use his phone.

"I don't know, but this makes no sense! How could anyone get past the blockade around the Turtle without anyone on the ships noticing…?!"

Once again, Kikuoka Seijirou was suddenly interrupted, though this time it was for a much more pressing reason.

That is, 4 figures suddenly appearing on the hallway in a flash of strange light, one wearing a robe and light armor and the others in futuristic-looking full body armor, aiming rifles at their chests.

Did he mention the part where (Judging by their armors) one of the intruders had a neck longer than his arm, another just one big eye and the last one a lizard tail?

"Surrender peacefully, humans, or we will be forced to use lethal force." calmly stated the Magician of the group while raising a hand (Which just so happened to be covered in black fur) glowing with mystical power. "We would prefer not to have to do that."

"…what were you saying about aliens not being our problem, Seijirou?" deadpanned Higa while trying very hard to not shake like a terrified puppy.

"…shut up, Takeru." was all that Kikuoka said while slowly raising his hands in the air.

Less than 20 minutes later, both men and the rest of the over 50 workers that were currently in the facility (Little more than a skeleton crew as it wasn't finished yet) had been gathered in one of the biggest inner rooms of the structure, concretely the one where the half-finished Light Cube Cluster stood.

Being the one basically in charge of the entire facility and the highest-ranking officer within at that moment, Kikuoka was trying to put on a brave front and keep them calm, while also making sure no one tried to do anything stupid in the heat of the moment.

After all, no matter how cool and effective American movies made it seem, trying to be a hero in situations like this _was not_ a good idea.

Eventually, though, everyone's attention was dragged towards the most imposing figure walking towards them from a lateral hallway, flanked by several more soldiers. Though to be fair, he wasn't really 'walking', as he had no legs, but slithering towards them in an absurdly long and armored snake-like tail, making more than one person cringe or start praying.

"Good evening, humansss. I'm General Gahul Moria of the Universssal Alliance, and I'm afraid we're appropriating mossst of the materialsss and resssources you had on this facility." informed the snake-like alien with a military and bored tone. "At thisss moment, we have almossst finished taking everything we need with usss, and we thank you for your 'cooperation' with thisss. Remain out of our way and we won't have to harm you at all."

"…General, you said?" suddenly spoke Kikuoka while standing up with his hands raised, ignoring the shocked looks many of his co-workers were giving him or Higa's whispered shouts for him to sit down again. "So, you're a soldier too…may I speak with you freely, general Moria?"

"Hmm…that tone indicatesss you're not unfamiliar with military protocol….what'sss your rank, human?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Kikuoka Seijirou from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force." answered the man with an even tone. "Given that you and your men seem to somehow understand our language, I just wanted to make sure if you knew the full implications of what you're doing. This action could be interpreted as a declaration of open hostilities against Japan…hell, even the world itself, given your nature."

"…yesss, I underssstand why you would sssee it that way, lieutenant colonel…and let me tell you with all due ressspect we don't care." coldly replied Gahul while towering over the bespectacled man, who to his credit managed to not react outwardly to the imposing form looking down at him. "What we're doing here in your planet isss ssso beyond your underssstanding that we couldn't care lesss about your politicsss or reactionsss right now. We're againssst a threat so great that not even the mossst brilliant mindsss in your history could even hope to understand. And ssstopping it no matter the cossst isss the only way of preventing thisss entire Universsse's doom."

Kikuoka didn't know what was more ominous, if the alien's words themselves or the fact that he apparently was completely serious about them.

He was still deliberating how to answer them…when what seemed like an honest to God sci-fi robot, small and with wheels instead of legs, came from a lateral hallway projecting what seemed like a feeling of urgency, followed by two more soldiers carrying something that made the government officer pale.

"General Moria! We detected a spike of Cosmic Energy in one of the rooms while we were gathering materials and…well, you may want to see this." saying this, Flint motioned for the two soldiers to step forward, each one carrying two of the now open containers.

"A sssword…?" muttered the snake-like alien while moving closer, the systems on his suit going crazy from the readings they were getting from it. "Thisss isss…?!"

"I'm hacking on their database right now…it seems it was recovered from Tokyo Tower the night of the failed operation…and judging from the impossibly clean cuts of each fragment, I think this weapon may have belonged to the Tyrant and captain Revenant…must have sliced it apart with her Concept of Reality, probably also damaging his physical vessel and causing 'The Scream'." pausing for a moment after mentioning the name of their former leader, as if thinking of the (On their eyes) fate worse than death she was suffering right now, the droid was quick to try and occupy his mind with something else. "There also seems to be encrypted files about what they were working on in here…"

"A weapon wielded by the Tyrant himssself…?" whispered Gahul with a gleam in his eyes as he looked towards the fragmented sword, before motioning towards one of the robe-wearing figured to come at his side. "Magician, what do you think? Can it be ressstored?"

"Hmm…summoning Cosmic Energy on its raw form and wielding it is difficult for even Sorcerers, but this tool creates it so easily that maybe…" crafting a Mystery over the fragments of the blade, the alien's eyes widened. "Oh…yes, I can feel it! This thing…it thirsts to be whole again…to be wielded…i-it's somehow…alive? No…more like…it has intent, as if whoever crafted it was able to pour something of themselves into it…a piece of soul? No…feelings? But how…AH!"

Screaming in shock, many eyes widened when the Mystical energies the Magician was using to scan the blade were hijacked from his control, making the 4 fragments of the broken weapon rise in the air as they greedily drank and shaped the power around them.

Slowly, the pieces positioned themselves one after another, in perfect position, and, with the sound of thunder, slammed against one another, cosmic light covering the gaps between them.

Shining majestically, Azure Vanquisher was whole once again, the diamond sword slowly falling down as the Mystical energy it was using to violate gravity was absorbed within…

And Gahul Moria snatched it from the air before it could fall to the ground, his reptilian eyes shining behind his helmet with the reflected light of the blade.

Seijirou Kikuoka gulped, having an ominous premonition at observing the scene.

"Yesss…thisss will certainly be…ussseful…" proclaimed the snake-like alien before turning around towards his men. "Make sssure we have all we need and get ready to Warp back to…"

"By the Alliance!" shouted Flint all of a sudden, the droid rearing back as if struck, his three arms flailing around as he turned to look towards the surprised Kikuoka and the rest of the facility's workers. "You…how could you…what kind of monsters are you?!"

"Droid, what'sss wrong?" questioned Gahul while narrowing his eyes.

"These…these humans…general, I'm sending it to our camp's personal database, please, look…what they were trying to do here…"

"He-hey, wait a minute!" the bespectacled man said even as the general started reading the most important files through his HUD, other curious soldiers doing the same. "That's classified information that our government…kuh!"

"…what in Fate'sss name…?" the snake-like alien's voice has suddenly grown shocked, then cold as he turned towards Kikuoka, who was being held by Higa as he tried to recover from the light punch he had unleashed on his stomach. "You were going to…clone sssoulsss to ussse them as glorified AIsss for unmanned weaponsss?!"

The fury in Gahul's voice may have surprised some, but for the Nagaralium it was something pretty understandable.

After all, while his species was one that respected mainly strength, they believed firmly in giving everyone a fair chance to prove that strength, in all senses.

That's why he had respected Orion but not his daughter, despite this also being stronger than him, because she had shown to be unfit to do what was necessary when she was put in a position of leadership under critical circumstances.

Also, the Nagaralium held the soul as something sacred, because, while everyone in their Universe knew Existence vanished upon death, the soul still kept forming part of 'something' within reality, and for those of his planet, in particular, they believed that these echoes of past warriors brought power to those that still fought on in the present. And that was without taking into account the similarly sacred or religious value many other races in the Universal Alliance had with the soul.

Yes, most of them accepted and fought with advanced technology, and used AIs for their own benefit whether it was for combat or information gathering…but what these humans wanted to do had nothing to do with that: They essentially wanted to create an entire world, populate it with actual cloned HUMAN souls, these 'Fluctlights', using projected bodies, then let their live their lives without knowing their reality to finally use them as glorified 'suicide pilots'. And none of them would have a say in the matter or even a chance to prove if they were strong enough to survive, they would just be…disposable tools.

"…that is none of your concern. What we do with our technology have nothing to do with your reason to be on this planet, right?" replied Kikuoka with a neutral tone, though all of his instincts were screaming he was in great danger.

"You have no idea how many laws and codes of the Universal Alliance you're violating just by _theorizing_ this, Lieutenant Colonel Kikuoka." all but growled Flint while staring at the man. "That your leaders approved of it but have to keep it secret like this tells us a lot more about how your species is than anything we may have read about you."

"What we're doing him is for the sake of preserving human lives, robot!" all but shouted the man to the droid, finally losing his nerves because of the situation. "We're looking out for the safety of our people, and if we have to sacrifice beings that aren't really alive for it then we…!"

The crackling sound of a whip shooting forward interrupted the bespectacled man's rant, making many of the men present scream even as the former SAO Beta Tester fell back while shouting in pain, his left ear bleeding profusely where the 'Anaconda' of the snake-like alien had all but tore through it.

"SEIJIROU!"

"Li-Lieutenant Kikuoka!"

"Oh God…!"

"Can you sssee thisss, Kikuoka Seijirou?" questioned Gahul with a dangerous tone while pointing towards Flint with the hand he was holding Azure Vanquisher in. "Thisss droid here doesssn't have a sssoul, neither it'sss 'really alive' by your ssstandardsss. All he hasss isss a sssufficiently advanced AI to follow ordersss and take decisssionsss on hisss own…and yet, at thisss moment, I consssider him asss more of a person than you."

"…General Moria, we received confirmation that we're done. We have all that we needed." informed a soldier standing near one of the lateral hallways, though there was clear disgust in her tone as she looked towards the men from RATH.

"…good. Prepare to Warp back to base, Magicians…" started the general…before turning around, powering down his whip and grabbing a small spherical object from his hip. "Alssso, want to know what I think about you and your goalsss, Kikuoka? Thisss."

And with those words, he pushed a button on the sphere's side and quickly touched it with Azure Vanquisher's tip. The small artifact glowed as raw Cosmic Power was infused directly into it and the snake-like alien threw it to the feet of the dumbfounded humans.

The next instant, Gahul Moria and all the soldiers present in the room vanished in a flash of Mystic Energy, leaving only the stunned personnel of the facility behind.

Quickly, Higa ran like a possessed towards the fallen 'sphere' (Which was shaking and glowing ominously), grabbed it and threw it towards the closest hallway, before turning around and activating an emergency panel to close the reinforced doors leading into it, all under Kikuoka and the others' terrified looks.

"A-argh…made it…" muttered the scientist with a shaky smile before turning towards his co-workers once the door closed. "Man, that was really clo…!"

In that moment, a MASSIVE blast of disintegrating energy engulfed most of the Ocean Turtle's center, making the rest of the facility shake and slowly start sinking as explosions shook it all, the battleships surrounding it for security watching in absolute shock as the half-finished structure collapsed into itself.

Back inside the Titan's hangar, Gahul and the last of his men appeared even as many gave them startled looks at the grim aura surrounding them.

"…take the materialsss we brought and put all effortsss into making the Titan operational again." ordered the snake-like alien with a cold tone, though no one seemed willing to put up any problems to follow it.

Inwardly, he couldn't help but think how this had been 'positive' in a twisted sort of sense. After all, once the news of what they had discovered in the human facility spread, most if not all doubts any of his men had about using a Titan in an underdeveloped and inhabited world would most likely vanish.

Besides, the lives that may be lost in the upcoming confrontation would be for the greater good. He still stood firm in his decision. Even an entire planet was a small price to pay to end their greatest enemy.

Idly, he once again caressed the compartment on his armor where the Core of Yurandi was stored, almost feeling the pulsating power contained within.

And in that moment, on the improvised medical station they had mounted in one of the dimensional hangar's edges, Lieutenant Rarun-Konik's body twitched, before his four eyes slowly and weakly blinked open…

* * *

In the Dicey Café, Tsuboi Ryoutarou was STARING at his kinda best friend with probably the most deadpanning expression of his life as he finished…'talking about his problems'.

"…and now Elysium is depressed and won't move from the backyard and barely eat while we have no idea where the hell did her men go. As if that wasn't enough, Yhmos called us to meet him later today and I'm sure he's going to bitch about the things I did wrong. All of THAT is why I am like this." finished Kazuto before looking at the man's blank expression, having just told him everything that had happened (Except personal things he DIDN'T want him to know anytime soon, like his relationship with Sugu, the details of his experience when his and Elysium's consciousness merged, etc). "So, what? Still think you can help cheering me up, Klein?"

"…ehm…Kirito, buddy…you know I appreciate you and all that, but…was it necessary to spend almost half an hour telling me such a crazy story when…?" without saying a word, the black-haired boy crafted a Mystery with one finger, making what remained if Ryoutarou's drink to fly off its glass, take the shape of a sword that lazily floated between him and the open-mouthed man of the bandana and then shot straight into his own mouth, drinking it all in one gulp. "Wha-what the fu…?! Holy shit, you were…! A-and, hey, you can't drink that, you're a minor!"

"I have the power to blow up the planet inside of me; I think I can say screw you about that small drinking law." crassly replied the gamer before turning around and letting his head fall on the table. "Also, I'm pretty sure nothing on this planet can get me drunk anymore. Superhuman constitution and all that, so I just filled my mouth with a disgusting taste for nothing…"

"…man, that sucks on so many levels…" muttered Ryoutarou before quickly shaking his head and staring back towards his glass. "But…well, Kirito, don't take this the wrong way, but…aren't you overthinking things a bit too much?"

"…what?" deadpanned Kazuto while staring at his friend as if he had grown a second head.

"I mean, yeah, you got all of this absurd and awesome power (Sorry if it seems I'm not reacting properly to that, I think my head is still unable to wrap around that), but you're acting in a way very unlike yourself because of it." revealed the man of the bandana while pointing at him with a half-grin. "I mean, as far as I have known, you have always preferred acting the way you think it's best instead of stopping to look at things from every single possible angle, that was always more of an Asuna and Heathcliff thing."

"…Klein, again, I have the power to make the fucking Solar System shake growing inside me! And crazy misguided aliens trying to kill me, not caring of who they put in danger for it!" harshly whispered-shouted the black-haired boy, making sure Andrew was far away enough to not hear him. "I can't just act rashly anymore!"

"See, that's where I think you're wrong. The Kirito I know is…well, he's a lucky bastard with way too much skill and an almost obsessive drive to become stronger." the gamer had the decency to look away with a bit of embarrassment at Ryoutarou's words, even as he pressed on with a more serious voice. "He's also someone who lets his own guilt eat away at him and doesn't let others help him out with it unless they force themselves on him." immediately, Kazuto's face darkened slightly at the words, memories of a very dark Christmas assaulting his mind. "I like to think that Kirito has come a long way, though, and…that he should know when he needs to both be _himself_ but not stop relying on others just for that. Just…find a balance between both sides, man, and do what you feel is right. Otherwise, you will spend too much time doubting yourself and then regret not acting when you could have."

"Klein…" muttered the stunned gamer. "…since when were you able to give such depth advice?"

"Hey, fuck you, man! The great Klein-sama can give some epic advice too, you know?!" retorted Ryoutarou with a scowl, before grinning as he reached into his bag and brought out…his AmuSphere. "Besides, I will have you know that I'm becoming a pro in RUO, and that already makes me feel like I'm at the top of the world!"

"…why are you carrying your AmuSphere around?"

"…it makes me feel I have something cool to look forward to when I'm at work, okay? Don't judge me." sadly commented the man of the bandana while the black-haired boy patted him on the back, even as a woman entered the café with trembling steps, heading towards the counter a bit unsteadily

Not saying a word, the newcomer sat at the opposite edge of the counter from them, Andrew walking to her side and then blinking in confusion, eyes narrowing slightly at seeing her disturbed face.

"Miss…is everything alright? Do you need something?" asked the barman even as the woman let escape a mirthless giggle before looking at him with tired eyes.

"Yes…if you could let me make a call and serve me a glass of the strongest thing you have, I would be very grateful." spoke Koujiro Rinko while trying very hard not to scream or break down right there. "Really."

"O-okay, I will let you make a call, but I honestly don't think you should be drinking anything…no offense, miss, but you don't look to be in the best state right now…" muttered the man while reaching for his phone.

"Believe me, if you had gone through what I have, then you would also…"

And that was as far as Kayaba Akihiko's 'accomplice' went before the sound of Warping filled the air, 6 Infantry Soldiers and a Magician from the Star Hunters appeared in the middle of the bar, energy weapons quickly being aimed towards the wide-eyed woman, the shocked barman, and the only other two clients.

"Fire!"

There was no explanation, no excuse or similar thing as the aliens opened fire against the helpless humans. After all, they were there following orders of utmost importance, to eliminate a possible threat, no matter how small, against their security. They couldn't allow themselves to have any doubts, especially not when they were so close to their 'endgame' operation…

And then a raging storm of energy exploded from one side of the bar, canceling their shots, throwing tables and chairs into the air and catapulting the Star Hunters off their feet, many shouts and screams filling the bar and the street when one of the soldiers went flying through a window.

"Get down!" shouted Kazuto as he made an impossible jump and all but hauled Rinko over the counter, throwing both her and Andrew down just as more shots and what seemed like a beam of magical power roaring in their direction, only a hastily raised Barrier Mystery stopping the attacks from piercing through the wood and killing them. "Goddammit! Why are these bastards here?!"

"Ki-Kirito, how did you do that?!" all but screamed Andrew with wide eyes even as more and more shots kept hammering against the barrier protecting them, even as the woman's eyes widened at hearing that name. "A-and what the hell are those guys?! Did one of them had a tail and another animal legs under the armors?!"

"Agil, please, not now, I'm trying to think how to get us all out of here without things getting crazier!"

"Holy shit, those aliens you talked about are actually here!" helpfully added Ryoutarou while crawling closer the other three, still tightly gripping his AmuSphere for some reason. "Can't you just, you know, blow them up?!"

"Not without blowing up a good chunk of this street too, I'm still learning to do small things!" growled the boy before his eyes flashed, his pupils turning into heterochromatic 12-pointed stars, making Rinko's eyes widen. "I can do THIS, however."

And with that said, he jumped over the counter and stood there as he called two hastily projected swords, slashing away another wave of energy beams before unleashing a wave of raw power from his right blade, hitting the 6 aliens still inside head on and throwing them out of the destroyed café, only the quickly weaved Mystery of Protection that the Magician amongst them called preventing them from suffering severe injuries.

"Shi-shit, it's the Tyrant!"

"Wh-why is he here?! Do-does he know about Koujiro?!"

"We can't risk him getting information out of her! Even if it costs us our lives, we have to kill the human! For the Alliance!"

"Yo-you're the one they're looking for…the Tyrant…" muttered Rinko with wide eyes as she stared at the boy, now vaguely recognizing exactly who he was. "The Black Swordsman Kirito…"

"Wait, how do you know that? Who are you?!" demanded Kazuto before gritting his teeth as several blasts of energy and what seemed like a snake of magic fire started assaulting his barrier. "And why do these aliens want to kill you?!"

"Kirito, can we discuss that after you have kicked their asses and they aren't shooting us with laser beams anymore?!" shouted Ryoutarou while trying to resist the human stupid impulse of peeking out of cover and into the deadly barrage of shots pelting into his friend's energy shield . "Didn't we just discuss about acting more and thinking less?!"

"Did you miss the part where I'm trying to not kill everyone around?!" retorted the black-haired boy while turning to give his friend a glare, not noticing how his left blade was suddenly being covered by reddish 'electricity'. "If you think it's that easy then **why don't you try and do something yourself?!** "

It happened so fast that Kazuto himself didn't understand at the time. Neither did Andrew, who had no idea of what was going on, nor Rinko, who at least had a vague idea of it all.

The point, though, was that neither of them could know, as they saw the red energy jump from the surprised gamer's sword and fry the now screaming Tsuboi Ryoutarou and his AmuSphere, that they were presenting one of the most important moments in future history.

The birth of a new legend.

In the blink of an eye, the Cosmic Power shattered the AmuSphere, the VR Device releasing some strange 'wave' from its remains and engulfing the screaming man of the bandana.

Then, Ryoutarou's appearance and clothes changed slightly, his hair turning a familiar shade of red while his garb turned futuristic, a mechanical-looking katana materializing on his side. In less than a second, he had changed into the looks of 'Klein' from Requiem Universus Online.

And then…the change continued. The armor thickened and expanded, a samurai-like helmet fully covering the man's head and making Klein grow in size until he was slightly taller than Andrew himself, a line-shaped black visor appearing over his face even as his weapon almost seemed to double in size, humming with unnatural power. On his chest, even as the armor kept turning more complex and futuristic, the symbol of a black 12-pointed star manifested itself, making a noticeable contrast with the mostly blood red armor.

Even the stunned aliens stopped their barrage for an instant, to stare with shock at the armored giant as he looked at his hands, closing the empty one several times and hearing the powerful sounds of the machinery moving at his limbs will.

Under the helmet, a massive grin covered the man's face as he slowly looked upwards, ignoring his fellow humans in exchange to glance at the suddenly tense Star Hunters.

"Where the hell did that guy come from?!"

"That armor looks like something straight out of an Alliance Combat Factory!"

"What in Fate's name…?!"

"My turn." simply stated Klein while the thrusters he now had on his armor's back opened and _exploded_ with absurd power, catapulting the man towards the ceiling, severely cracking it, and letting him **fly** over Kazuto's barrier, shouting like crazy all the while before he made a new hole in Andrew's café as he slammed against one of the alien soldiers, knocking him down with the sound of breaking bones. "…okay, that could have gone better…but it was fucking awesome!"

"Ta-take that guy down!" shouted the Magician while the remaining infantry soldiers opened fire towards the quickly standing armored warrior…to no effect, much to their shock, as a shimmering energy covered the armor and reduced the energy shots to almost nothing, Klein barely shaking in response to them. "Wha…?! It has a personal forcefield?!"

"Okay, that's even cooler than anything I could have imagined!" stated the man before raising his massive weapon in a stance he had practiced for almost 2 years in VR. "Now, eat this, invaders!"

The next second, Klein was _moving_ , the armor's absurdly extreme enhancements letting him shot past and slash down the soldiers without effort, his skill as a Front Liner SAO Survivor allowing him to easily deal with the poor low-rank soldiers, their suits heavily damaged as they fell down bleeding slightly.

Startled and fearing for his life, the Magician quickly summoned forth as much magical power as he could and unleashed it against the armored man in the shape of a massive claw of burning energy.

For his part, Klein raised his blade…and transformed it into 'shotgun mode' (Though being air after the change it seemed more like an oversized cannon), easily hoisting the massive weapon with one hand and aiming towards the incoming magical inferno.

"Cosmic Samurai Klein is on the house, baby!"

And with that nonsensical shout, the armored man pulled the trigger.

An explosion so powerful that it almost made him stumble back despite his armor erupted from the weapon, the blast roaring forward and tearing through the Magician's offensive Mystery as if it was wet paper.

"How in Fate's name…?!

The poor alien had barely enough time to say those shocked words before the attack consumed and only his smoking hips and legs remained, which promptly fell to the ground while oozing green blood.

"…okay…that…that had a lot more kick that I thought." commented Klein to no one as he transformed his weapon back to blade mode and lowered it. "…bu-but well, at least I managed to solve the situation!"

"Klein, what the fucking hell?!" screamed Kazuto while rushing to his side, the boy's unnatural eyes burning with shock and disbelief as he stared towards the armored man. "You killed him!"

"…yeah…but…they're bad aliens that want to invade our world, right?"

"No! They're just a bunch of misguided idiots who think they're doing the right thing! Didn't you hear a word of what I said before?!"

"…being honest with you, I kind of stopped paying attention to a good chunk of your explanation when I thought you were just trolling me…"

"Wha…but…you…oh, Heavens…" groaned the black-haired boy while trying not to think of how he was going to tell Elysium that one of her men had been brutally killed in 'self-defense', while idly crafting a Mystery with his empty hand to restrain the rest of the now unmoving (And probably quite hurt) alien soldiers lying around. "Just…just stay there and do anything even more reckless while I try and figure a way to change you back to normal, okay?"

"Back to normal?! Why would I ever want that?! I'm like a freaking superhero now!" protested Klein while shaking his massive blade up and down, accidentally carving a new mark on the already quite destroyed street, even as an open-mouthed Andrew peeked from the inside of his destroyed café, a shaking Rinko just behind him. "Besides, if there are more of those aliens around and you're still so indecisive then you're sure as hell going to need some he…!"

The roaring sound of 'something' moving at high speed appearing out of nowhere was the only warning Kazuto got, but it was enough for him as his instincts made him throw himself back in time for the strange and futuristic-looking flying bike to slam only against his armored friend, dragging him through the air with a screeching sound and then crashing with a brutal impact against one of the nearby buildings, which judging by the screams coming from the dust cloud caused wasn't exactly empty (Though people more than likely had been hiding in fear when the shots and explosions started).

Shocked, the gamer barely had started to realize that he 'recognized' the machine (A Supernova Raptor, one of the fastest personal vehicles anyone in the Universal Alliance could have), when something imposing fell down barely a couple of meters from him, making the ground shake again.

 **-Engaging Nebula System…-**

Eyes wide, Kazuto ignored the (Also familiar) mechanical voice in favor of looking at the crimson giant, his terribly familiar armor so impressive it made even Klein's new one look like a cheap toy, a mantle of white 'fire' bursting from his back as diamond-shaped 'eyes' of light glared down at him from within the helmet.

But it wasn't possible. Because he had lived through Elysium's memories, same place from where the familiarity with the figure came from, and he knew the one standing before him couldn't be there. He was death, there was no way he could have survived having fallen into Unreality when the part of the ship he was in was literally torn apart during their unexpectedly dangerous Jump through the Great Void after Yhmos…

And yet, despite the changed main color of the Excelsior-Class armor and despite the unnatural _wrongness_ that seemed to **ooze** from his form, there was only one being Kirigaya Kazuto could identify the figure before him as.

"…Orion Caius Revenant?"

His answer was a massive bastard sword filled with chaotic energy slashing down to split his head, the black-haired boy barely being able to spin around and deflect it while dodging, his projected blades snapping in half at the pressure.

"Kirigaya Kazuto. Kirito. Tyrant." came from the unnatural being as he STARED towards the gamer, the echoing voice sending chills down his spine, similar yet uncanny different to the one in Elysium's memories. "Die."

The next second, he was upon him, swinging down his blade to try and bisect him once again.

Finally casting all hesitation aside, Kazuto's eyes hardened and he spun around, dodging the attack and then regenerating his blades as he quickly executed a 'Double Circular' Skill.

There was no time for hesitation and Klein's, Ryoutarou's, words rang true. This was an enemy that **would** kill him without hesitation and that couldn't be reasoned with. All his instincts, both battle and cosmic ones, were screaming to him. As such, if he didn't want to put everyone at risk, if he wanted to survive…he had no option but to attack his enemy with the same intent.

And so, the Dual Blades Skill flew true, ready to hammer against Orion's torso…and the armored specter somehow perfectly deflected and dodged all of it, using both his blade and a suddenly manifested kite-sized energy-shield on his left hand. Kazuto's eyes widened beyond belief.

He _knew_ how the 'ghost' fought and he also knew he should be truly outclassed in direct combat, especially because of his armor's 'Nebula System', so he had relied on his Cosmic Power and Sword Skills, the only real advantages he had over the man that surpassed him in ability, battle skill and experience by a margin several times greater than Elysium, to quickly overpower him. After all, with superior strength and speed, he should be able to bring him down even with greatly inferior weapons and no armor nor ability to craft powerful Protective Mysteries around himself mid-fight.

However, somehow, his opponent seemed almost to KNOW every single one of the movements and trajectory his body and blades would follow the moment he unleashed his Double Circular, easily predicting and reacting to them as if it was no big deal, as if he somehow thought he had **won** the moment he had used the Sword Skill.

And as the massive Tarum Blade descended towards his neck to behead him, a part of the boy couldn't help but think that there was a terrible irony somewhere in there…before the specter's flying bike came and crashed against him like a missile, throwing him away from the shocked boy, only a small trickle of blood falling from his neck's side proving that he had been about to lose his head.

With a loud sound, Klein's armored form crashed at his side, apparently with a much better control of his boosters than his first try of minutes ago as he raised his blade.

"I take it that the jerk of the superbike isn't a friend of yours?" questioned the man with a small grimace, tasting a bit of blood in his mouth from the earlier crash, but still more than ready to fight.

"No." answered Kazuto as he raised his own blades, his eyes never leaving the slowly rising form of the _Other_ as he stood up and his Supernova Raptor hovered again at his side, the boy idly aware of the many people around them screaming, shouting or pointing their way, and the distant sounds of emergency sirens. "And get ready…not only is he extremely dangerous and probably able to kill us under normal circumstances effortlessly, there is something uncanny… _wrong_ with this one."

Finishing his words and adopting a familiar stance beside his friend, as he hadn't done in a long time, the gamer felt his body tensing more than ever for some unknown reason.

At the other side of the street, adopting a stance that did not belong to Orion Caius Revenant, the specter let his energy shield grow almost thrice its size as he faced towards the two Earthlings.

Once again, a simple yet chilling sentence escaped from him.

"Death to the Tyrant."

* * *

 **Lesson 14** : _When you live among the stars, you lose sight of what's happening on the ground._

* * *

 **Next** **:** _United Front._

* * *

 **Omake: The Holy Book of the Black Blades 3**

 _From the Holy Book of the Black Blades_ (Written by the Rat Sage, edited by the Red Blade)

 _Chapter 1: New Dawn. 8th Recollection_

 _Let us now talk about the Other. The dark memory that came to try and slay our Lord and Savior before he had started walking his unstoppable path towards mankind's bright Future, before he had fully embraced the power of the [Life] he would bring us all._

 _Warped and twisted, a shadow of something that Did Not Exist, believing to be someone that no longer was a part of the living, it was a creature of wrongness, a being that Wasn't, for it came from the Nothingness of Unreality, the Plane where nothing could 'Be'. It only gained form by clawing its way into a rampaging echo, a burning Will and Memory, and only could exist within this Plane by possessing the armor of His Prophet's father and the taking over the flesh of a man that many would think deserved such horrible fate, while others would think no one should go through what the Other did to him._

 _Even to this day, our Lord and Savior still remembers the wrongful nature of It as one of the things that frightened him the most on His life before his Ascension, as one of the most sinister and wrongful 'errors' our Multiverse has shown him. Which has led to this humble Sage to sometimes ask herself a terrifying line of questions._

 _Are there more of the Other out there? Uncanny similar? Absolutely different? Is there someone else out there in the never-ending Omniverse that had been forced to deal with the Nothingness of Unreality gaining sentience by grabbing hold of something within Reality to drag itself among us? One that, even misguided and seemingly not all that threatening, was about to destroy our very planet?_

 _…is there someone out there having to deal with such horror right now?_

* * *

 **Notes:** Dumdamdom! Cliffhanger! I'm horrible!

Jokes aside, though, hope that you enjoyed the chapter, even if it was all over the place a bit. I wanted to show the thoughts and developments of several things in here and I like to think I did a good job of balancing that, even if I may be wrong. Either way, hope you had an interesting time reading this chapter.

Also, in case anyone was doubting it, yes, not-Admiral Revenant is using Kayaba's brain to get his "I'm the fucking boss because I know how all of SAO's Skills are executed and using them against me is suicide", Heathcliff-style. Problem is, neither Kirito nor Klein know this, nor the former's memories of him (Seen through Elysium's) can explain it, and as they don't know either he's using Kayaba's body as his personal 'vehicle'…yeah.

Oh, and Klein, yeah! Finally, he gets his time to shine a bit :P! Behold the rise of the mighty Red Blade XD!

Well, that's all I got to say this time. Hopefully, I will be able to bring the next chapter faster…if I don't succumb to the temptation of writing more of Lusus Naturae. Dammit, I swear, I like that thing, but it's distracting me way too much!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


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